With any type of spine-related surgery, there's a need to minimize patient discomfort during the procedure as much as possible. With a discectomy, this typically means general anesthesia and can depend on how your surgery is performed and certain patient-specific factors. We answer the question asked above by looking at what's typically used when discectomies are performed with some of the more common approaches to this type of surgery.
Microdiscectomy Surgery
It's common for a microdiscectomy to be performed under general anesthesia, according to Spine Health. This is when you'll be on a surgical table facedown as the affected disc is accessed. You'll be asleep the entire time. In this instance, the reason for general anesthesia is because some muscle tissues are moved to access the problem disc and remove what's irritating nearby nerves.
Minimally Invasive Lumbar Discectomy Surgery
Although it isn’t common, some surgeons may perform discectomy surgery under local or spinal anesthesia. This is anesthesia that only numbs the affected area during the procedure. One instance when this type of anesthesia is more likely to be used, according to Spine Universe, is with a minimally invasive lumbar discectomy. The patient remains awake and aware when a microdiscectomy is performed this way.
Patient-Specific Factors Considered with Anesthesia
Whether or not general anesthesia is used during microdiscectomy surgery also depends on what's preferred or right for the patient. For example, there are times when patients are too anxious or uncomfortable with the idea of using a more localized form of anesthesia. If this is the case, general anesthesia may become an option even if it's not absolutely required. Health-specific factors are also considered, since using general anesthesia is a more involved process than utilizing localized anesthesia, and it includes some potential risks.
What to Expect if General Anesthesia Is Used for a Discectomy
General anesthesia is a combination of IV-delivered medications and inhaled gases administered prior to surgery. It's also a process that requires careful patient monitoring during the procedure. Most people tolerate general anesthesia well, but it does require some important steps before and after the procedure to ensure patient safety. This list typically includes:
• Temporarily discontinuing certain medications for safety reasons
• Fasting for about six hours prior to surgery
• Being observed after surgery in a recovery area as the anesthesia wears off and full consciousness is regained
The type of anesthesia used during a discectomy will vary according to each patient’s specific needs. Back surgery recovery time also varies among individuals and depends on factors such as whether the patient has a large hole in the outer ring of the disc after surgery. If the hole in the disc is larger than a standard pencil eraser, the patient has a significant risk of experiencing a reherniation. Patients with a large hole in the outer ring of the disc are more than twice as likely to experience reherniations after surgery. These reherniations often require additional surgery or even a larger spinal fusion operation. Barricaid is a bone-anchored device shown to reduce reherniations by closing the hole in the disc after a discectomy, and 95 percent of Barricaid patients didn’t undergo a reoperation due to reherniation in a 2-year study timeframe. This treatment is done immediately following the discectomy—during the same operation—and doesn’t require any additional incisions or time in the hospital.
If you have any questions about the Barricaid treatment or how to get access to Barricaid, you may ask your doctor or contact us at 844-288-7474.
For full benefit/risk information, please visit: https://www.barricaid.com/instructions.
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