[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Anaesthesia and ICU](https://durgical.com/en/anaesthesia/) › Anaesthesia basics

# Anaesthesia basics

Types of anaesthesia, the machine and breathing circuits, standard monitoring, the safety checklist and what anaesthesia does to the body.

9 pages

- [**Awareness and depth of anaesthesia** Rarely, a patient under general anaesthesia becomes aware and later remembers events; careful…](https://durgical.com/en/anaesthesia/awareness-and-depth-of-anaesthesia/)
- [**General anaesthesia: induction, maintenance and emergence** A general anaesthetic has a start (falling asleep), a middle (staying asleep during surgery) and…](https://durgical.com/en/anaesthesia/general-anaesthesia-induction-maintenance-and-emergence/)
- [**General, regional, local and sedation: what each one is** Anaesthesia can put the whole person to sleep, numb one region of the body, numb one small spot…](https://durgical.com/en/anaesthesia/general-regional-local-and-sedation-what-each-one-is/)
- [**Levels of sedation and procedural sedation safety** Sedation runs from relaxed but awake to deeply asleep; the deeper it goes, the more the…](https://durgical.com/en/anaesthesia/levels-of-sedation-and-procedural-sedation-safety/)
- [**Positioning and its injuries** Under anaesthesia the patient cannot feel pressure or strain, so the team positions and pads the…](https://durgical.com/en/anaesthesia/positioning-and-its-injuries/)
- [**Standard intraoperative monitoring** During anaesthesia, a trained person stays with the patient and machines continuously watch…](https://durgical.com/en/anaesthesia/standard-intraoperative-monitoring/)
- [**The anaesthesia machine and breathing circuits, in principle** The anaesthesia machine mixes oxygen, air and anaesthetic vapour in safe proportions and…](https://durgical.com/en/anaesthesia/the-anaesthesia-machine-and-breathing-circuits-in-principle/)
- [**The surgical safety checklist from the anaesthesia side** Before anaesthesia, before the first cut and before the patient leaves theatre, the team pauses…](https://durgical.com/en/anaesthesia/the-surgical-safety-checklist-from-the-anaesthesia-side/)
- [**What anaesthesia does to the heart, lungs, brain and kidneys** Anaesthetic drugs switch off awareness but also relax blood vessels, slow breathing and change…](https://durgical.com/en/anaesthesia/what-anaesthesia-does-to-the-heart-lungs-brain-and-kidneys/)

## A to Z

- [A](https://durgical.com/en/anaesthesia/a-z/a/)
- [B](https://durgical.com/en/anaesthesia/a-z/b/)
- [C](https://durgical.com/en/anaesthesia/a-z/c/)
- [D](https://durgical.com/en/anaesthesia/a-z/d/)
- [E](https://durgical.com/en/anaesthesia/a-z/e/)
- [F](https://durgical.com/en/anaesthesia/a-z/f/)
- [G](https://durgical.com/en/anaesthesia/a-z/g/)
- [H](https://durgical.com/en/anaesthesia/a-z/h/)
- [I](https://durgical.com/en/anaesthesia/a-z/i/)
- [L](https://durgical.com/en/anaesthesia/a-z/l/)
- [M](https://durgical.com/en/anaesthesia/a-z/m/)
- [N](https://durgical.com/en/anaesthesia/a-z/n/)
- [O](https://durgical.com/en/anaesthesia/a-z/o/)
- [P](https://durgical.com/en/anaesthesia/a-z/p/)
- [R](https://durgical.com/en/anaesthesia/a-z/r/)
- [S](https://durgical.com/en/anaesthesia/a-z/s/)
- [T](https://durgical.com/en/anaesthesia/a-z/t/)
- [V](https://durgical.com/en/anaesthesia/a-z/v/)
- [W](https://durgical.com/en/anaesthesia/a-z/w/)

[← Anaesthesia and critical care](https://durgical.com/en/anaesthesia/)

Educational content; it does not replace supervised training, your institution's protocols or the anaesthetist's or intensivist's decision. It contains no doses and no ventilator or infusion settings.

Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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Source: https://durgical.com/en/anaesthesia/areas/basics/
License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/anaesthesia/areas/basics/