Benefits of General Anesthesia for Oculofacial Plastic Surgery
At Raleigh Eye and Face, we offer leading techniques and safe practices for all types of oculofacial plastic surgery procedures. Whether you are looking to schedule a consultation with Raleigh's premier blepharoplasty surgeon, Dr. Mettu or are preparing for recovery from your planned procedure, you should know about the benefits of general anesthesia for oculofacial plastic surgery.
Read on to learn how the type of anesthesia can impact the patient experience and surgical results.
General anesthesia, our preferred choice for more invasive surgery (e.g. upper blepharoplasty, ptosis surgery, lower blepharoplasty) allows patients to stay comfortable during surgery, eliminating any possible pain, anxiety, or movement so each patient can have the smoothest and most pleasant experience possible.
Types of Anesthesia
While we perform minor surgical procedures ( e.g. skin tag removal) and some non surgical treatments (laser resurfacing) under local and topical anesthesia in the office, general anesthesia in the operating room is the preferred method for our more invasive surgical procedures. This allows for a painless and smooth process with the best possible surgical results. General anesthesia means that the patient is asleep and the anesthesia team fully controls breathing and oxygenation with a device that goes in through the mouth and sits at the top of the airway. This is called a laryngeal mask airway and is used to safely control breathing in patients who are put to sleep for surgery.
Key Benefits of General Anesthesia in Oculofacial Plastic Surgery
Painless: Some sensitive areas such as the lower eyelids (for lower blepharoplasty) are more difficult to anesthetize with local anesthesia alone. With general anesthesia, patients are unconscious during surgery and therefore do not feel any pain even in these especially sensitive areas. Otherwise, if patients are not asleep, surgery can become much more challenging and unpleasant when patients experience pain during the procedure.
No anxiety: When more invasive surgeries are performed while awake, it is common for patients to become anxious and restless during surgery which can lead to an unpleasant experience and which can also limit surgical results.
No movement: If a patient is awake and moves during surgery (from pain or anxiety), it can be more challenging and could impact results. General anesthesia ensures no movement occurs during the procedure.
Eliminates Fire Risk: With ‘twilight anesthesia’ (the patient is sedated but breathes on their own), supplemental oxygen is often used and given through the nose. Due to the oxygen being used in close proximity to surgical cautery devices (to stop bleeding), twilight anesthesia is associated with a fire risk. General anesthesia eliminates this fire risk and creates a safer surgical environment.
Additional Benefits
Since there is no pain, patient anxiety, or movement with general anesthesia, surgery moves much more smoothly and leads to a more efficient surgery with a better patient experience. Additionally, surgery under general anesthesia in the operating room with board certified anesthesiologists overseeing the care is far safer than having a major surgical procedure in an office based setting where the surgeon is not only responsible for the surgery but also for patient safety and comfort. Since Dr. Mettu performs major surgeries at the surgery center under general anesthesia, his anesthesia colleagues constantly monitor the patient which allows Dr. Mettu to focus solely on the surgery without any divided attention. Additionally, since patients are asleep during general anesthesia, Dr. Mettu is able to minimize the amount of local anesthesia that is used (compared to awake surgery or twilight sedation) such that there is no significant risk of lidocaine toxicity which can have serious consequences.
Learn More with Our Raleigh Eyelid Surgery Expert
Interested in having a smooth and safe surgical experience with the best possible results? Get in touch with us to schedule your consultation with Dr. Mettu.