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General anaesthesia is administered by a specialist anaesthetist in a private hospital setting, and is a common accompanying procedure for oral and maxillofacial surgery.
General anaesthesia means you will be asleep during your oral & maxillofacial surgical operation, but it still requires use of a local anaesthetic to help with pain relief immediately after surgery.
We use several private hospitals, as well as specialist anaesthetists. This web site should assist you in finding out more about your specialist practitioner and treating hospital.
Before attending for any general anaesthesia, you must have fasted for 6 hours prior to your procedure (meaning no drinking or eating... not even a sip of water!!).
The general anaesthetic procedure usually begins with a set of vital measurements, including blood pressure, weight, and general physical examination. A small needle and cannula is placed into the back of your hand, with midazolam used to produce an instant amnesic and anxiolytic effect.
The general anaesthetic proceeds with administration of oxygen, followed by injection of propofol and rocuronium (with occasional additional drugs such as atropine).
A tube is usually painlessly passed via a nostril and into the trachea of your airway. Full general anaesthesia is then maintained with use of sevoflurane and nitrous oxide, on a formal anaesthetic breathing machine.
Additional operation-defined drugs such as ampicillin and dexamethasone, as well as anti-nausea drugs such as ondansetron are usually also commonly used.
General anaesthesia procedures have an extremely high safety margin, and complications are extremely rare. If you are concerned about complications, it is important to ask your anaesthetist or treating surgeon.
If you have any questions concerning the procedure of general anaesthesia, as well as costs and expected rebates, please contact your nominated anaesthetist's office directly.
Unless the surgeon recommends for a separate consultation with the anaesthetist (usually due to obesity or general medical conditions) you will normally first meet your anaesthetist during the pre-anaesthetic examination on the hospital day.
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