Question

The patient tells the nurse, 'I'm so nervous. I want to be knocked out for the surgery so that I don't know what is going on.' When the nurse communicates with the surgeon and anesthetist, she tells them that the patient desires which type of anesthesia?

1) Conscious sedation
2) General anesthesia
3) Local anesthesia
4) Regional anesthesia

Answer 1

The patient's request to be 'knocked out' for surgery corresponds to a desire for general anesthesia, which induces temporary loss of consciousness and sensation, ensuring the patient is unaware of the procedure.

Step-by-step explanation:

When the patient expresses a desire to be 'knocked out' for the surgery so that they do not know what is going on, they are requesting general anesthesia. General anesthetics are drugs that result in a temporary loss of consciousness, analgesia, amnesia, unconsciousness, and reduced autonomic responsiveness to noxious stimuli. This is achieved through the administration of either inhalational anesthetics or injection, with an injection usually given to induce anesthesia and a gas used to maintain it. The anesthetist and surgical team will ensure that the patient is prepped, and will take over the control of homeostatic functions like respiration during surgery.