General anaesthetic (EN) General anaesthetic (EN)

How to prepare for your operation

• It is important that you follow the rules. If you fail to do so, life-threatening situations may occur during your operation.
• If you have failed to (fully) stick to the rules, the anaesthetist may decide to stop your operation from going ahead.

Make sure you have someone to accompany you

• After being under a general anaesthetic, your reaction times will be a little slower for a while. For that reason, you are not allowed to drive yourself home. Please make arrangements in advance for someone to take you home
• If you are able to go home on the day of your operation, make sure you are not home alone the first night.

What happens prior to your operation?

Pain relief

You will be given pain relief around one hour before your operation.

Preparation for the anaesthetic

• A member of staff will take you to a preparatory room. We call this space the 'holding room'. Once there, our staff will connect you to several monitors.
• To monitor your heart rate, self-adhesive pads will be placed on your chest. We will then place an arm band around your upper arm to monitor your blood pressure. A clip with a little light will also be positioned on your finger. We use this to monitor the oxygen level in your blood.
• An intravenous drip will then be administered. A member of staff will place a tourniquet around your arm. The intravenous drip will be inserted, and the tourniquet will be removed.
• You are now all set for your procedure. Our staff will come collect you when it's time to go to the theatre.

How will you be anaesthetised?

• A member of staff will take you to the operating theatre. Once there, you will lay down on the operating table, with your arms placed in two supports. Our staff will connect you back up to the monitor.
• Next, the operating team will carry out their final checks. We can then start administering your general anaesthetic.
• To do so, we will place an oxygen mask over your mouth and nose. You may receive certain instructions from our staff while the anaesthetic is being injected. You will notice yourself gently falling asleep. Once you're asleep, your surgical procedure can start.

What happens after your operation?

After your operation, you will be taken from the operating theatre to the post-anaesthesia care unit. This is also referred to as the recovery room.

Once there, our staff will connect you back up to the monitor, so that we can measure your heartbeat, blood pressure and the oxygen level in your blood. A tube may also be inserted into your nose to supply oxygen. You are in the recovery room to slowly wake up from your anaesthetic or to recover from your operation.

The care team will carry out certain checks, such as measuring your temperature using an ear thermometer. If no tube has been inserted into your bladder, the care team will use a scanner device every now and then to check whether your bladder is getting too full. This scanner will be gently pressed onto your lower abdomen, so we can see your bladder. If necessary, you will be given extra medication to counter any pain and nausea.

If you are doing well and your anaesthetist feel you are ready, the staff at the nursing ward will come and collect you.

Pain relief after your operation

For a speedy recovery, it is important that you experience as little pain as possible following your operation. We will offer you pain relief for that reason. The anaesthetist will discuss which type of pain relief you are given:

• Pills, suppositories or intravenous drip
  During your admission, you may be offered pain relief in the form of pills, suppositories or an intravenous drip. For pain relief at home, you will be given pills or suppositories.
• PCA pump
  PCA stands for 'patient-controlled analgesia'. A PCA pump enables you to administer small amounts of pain relief yourself. When the pain gets too much, simply press the button.
• Epidural
  If you are given epidural pain relief, a tube will be inserted into your back. Your pain relief will then be administered via that tube.
• Plexus block
  This is a local anaesthetic that numbs one or more nerves via an injection into your arm or leg. The anaesthetic will temporarily disable the nerve cluster in question.
• Local anaesthetic administered by the surgeon
  At the end of the operation, the surgeon will inject a little local anaesthetic around the site of the operation.

What are the possible side effects?

It will take a day for your general anaesthetic to wear off. Your body will then need several more days or weeks to fully recover from your operation.
No operation is completely free of risk.

You may experience the following side effects:

• Shortly after your operation, you may feel sleepy or fall back asleep every now and then. This is perfectly normal.
• After waking up from a general anaesthetic, you may feel nauseous, and you may need to vomit. If so, please ask us for medication to counter your nausea.
• You may feel pain in your muscles and joints because you spent a long time laid down in the same position during your operation.
• The breathing tube that was inserted into your throat during your operation may irritate your throat and cause a sore throat. This will go away by itself within a few days.

There is also a minor risk of:

• an allergic reaction to medication.
• damage to your teeth due to the breathing tube we inserted.
• a trapped nerve in your arm or leg due to being laid down in a certain position during your operation.
  This may cause a tingling sensation and weakness.

Tips for your return home

It is normal to feel unfit for a while after your operation. This is not just down to the general anaesthetic; an operation is a major life event. As such, your body simply needs time to recover.

Tips for your return home

• Do not use any dangerous machinery on the day you return home.
• Do not take any important decisions that day.
• Take it easy for the first 24 hours after your operation.
• Make sure you have stocked up on plenty of pain relief at home, such as paracetamol, ibuprofen and diclofenac.
• Follow the instructions of the doctor who carried out your operation.

Contact

If you have any questions, feel free to call.

Preoperative screening

+31 88 624 21 39 (lines open 08:30 to 17:00, Monday to Friday)