Close

https://global.oup.com/academic/covers/pop-up/9780199584543

Anaesthesia: A Very Short Introduction

Aidan O'Donnell

Very Short Introductions

Explains the facts about a process that is often considered mysterious and threatening
Covers the whole spectrum of modern anaesthetic practice, from general and local anaesthesia, anaesthesia for childbirth and intensive care to anaesthetic equipment and agents
Provides a detailed yet honest breakdown of all kinds of anaesthetic risk, from side effects to complications, demonstrating that the risks are nowhere near as high as most of us believe
Answers all of the pressing questions you might have about anaesthesia - what is it? how does it work? what are the risks?
Part of the bestselling Very Short Introductions - over five million copies sold worldwide

Anaesthesia: A Very Short Introduction

Aidan O'Donnell

Description

What do anaesthetists do? How does anaesthesia work? What are the risks? And how does the anaesthetist know if you are really asleep?

Anaesthesia is a mysterious and sometimes threatening process. In this Very Short Introduction, Aidan O'Donnell takes the reader on a tour through the whole of the modern anaesthetic practice. He begins by explaining general anaesthesia: what it is, how it is produced, and how it differs from natural sleep and other forms of unconsciousness. He goes on to consider the main categories of anaesthetic drugs, including anaesthetic vapours, intravenous agents, muscle relaxants, and analgesics, together with explanations of how they work and what their purpose is.

Set against the historical background of anaesthetic and surgical practice, O'Donnell examines the large role anaesthetists play in specialised areas such as intensive care medicine, pain medicine, and childbirth; and finally, he considers the risks of anaesthesia, putting in to context that anaesthesia is a very safe process.

ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Anaesthesia: A Very Short Introduction

Aidan O'Donnell

Very Short Introductions

Anaesthesia: A Very Short Introduction

Aidan O'Donnell

Very Short Introductions

Author Information

Aidan O'Donnell, Consultant Anaesthetist, Waikato Hospital, Hamilton, New Zealand

Aidan O'Donnell is a consultant anaesthetist and medical writer with a special interest in anaesthesia for childbirth. He graduated from Edinburgh in 1996 and trained in Scotland and New Zealand. He now lives and works in New Zealand. He was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal College of Anaesthetists in 2002 and a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists in 2011. This is his first book.

Anaesthesia: A Very Short Introduction

Aidan O'Donnell

Very Short Introductions

Reviews and Awards

"Overall, this is an excellent book. It certainly will help to demystify the practice of anaesthesia and provide insight into the challenges faced by the anaesthetist." - M. Chikhani, British Journal of Anaesthesia

"The book is understandable and enjoyable to read ... It would make a useful addition to the reading list of any medical student, and a welcomed gift for the non-medical reader." - British Journal of Anaesthesia

"The interesting information in this little book would appeal to experts and laypeople alike. Consisting of 146 pages including a glossary, chapter-by-chapter suggestions for further reading and an index, this book clearly shows the extent to which the anaesthetist is involved in a patient's survival, because of their special knowledge of pharmacology, physiology and the treatment of pain. Anaesthesia: A Very Short Introduction would be a very good book to have in any school library or careers office." - New Zealand Anaesthesia

"The book manages to explain the mechanics of anaesthesia in succinct and comprehensive language." - Royal College of Anaesthetists Bulletin

"[O'Donnell] explains scientific theories clearly, simplifying them whilst ensuring that all key points and details are included." - Anaesthesia

Anaesthesia: A Very Short Introduction

Aidan O'Donnell

Very Short Introductions

From Our Blog

Killing me softly: rethinking lethal injection

By Aidan O'Donnell How hard is it to execute someone humanely? Much harder than you might think. In the US, lethal injection is the commonest method. It is considered humane because it is painless, and the obvious violence and brutality inherent in alternative methods (electrocution, hanging, firing squad) is absent. But when convicted murderer Clayton Lockett was put to death by lethal injection in the evening of 29th April 2014 by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, just about everything went wrong.

Posted on July 4, 2014

Read the blog post

What patients really want

By Aidan O'Donnell Picture this scenario. In a brightly-lit room, young women in spotless white tunics apply high-tech treatments to a group of people lying on beds. At first glance, you might think this is a hospital or clinic, but in fact, it is a beauty salon.

Posted on October 18, 2013

Read the blog post

Propofol and the Death of Michael Jackson

One of the hallmarks of an expert is to make what they are doing look effortless. Whether it is tossing pizza, throwing a clay pot on a wheel, or executing the perfect forehand smash, the experts make it look easy. The part that we don't see is the hundreds of hours of practice, and the hundreds of times it has gone wrong; the shreds of dough stuck to the light bulb.

Posted on April 19, 2012

Read the blog post

The truth about anaesthesia

What do anaesthetists do? How does anaesthesia work? What are the risks? Anaesthesia is a mysterious and sometimes threatening process. We spoke to anaesthetist and author Aidan O'Donnell, who addresses some of the common myths and thoughts surrounding anaesthesia.

Posted on November 30, 2012

Read the blog post

Anaesthesia: A Very Short Introduction

Aidan O'Donnell

Very Short Introductions

Video

Anaesthesia: A Very Short Introduction

Aidan O'Donnell

Very Short Introductions

Reading Guide

What do anaesthetists do? How does anaesthesia work? What are the risks? And how does the anaesthetist know if you are really asleep?

Anaesthesia is a mysterious and sometimes threatening process. In this Very Short Introduction, Aidan O'Donnell takes the reader on a tour through the whole of the modern anaesthetic practice. He begins by explaining general anaesthesia: what it is, how it is produced, and how it differs from natural sleep and other forms of unconsciousness. He goes on to consider the main categories of anaesthetic drugs, including anaesthetic vapours, intravenous agents, muscle relaxants, and analgesics, together with explanations of how they work and what their purpose is.

PDF download Download this VSI Reading Guide as an Adobe PDF (28 KB)

Questions for Thought and Discussion

Has anyone in the group undergone any form of anaesthesia? How was it? Did you feel safe? How did you get on with the anaesthetist? How did you feel afterwards??
Before you read this book, what were your images of anaesthetists and what they do?
Medical dramas are a popular form of entertainment. How are anaesthetists represented? Is this representation positive or negative?
Under what circumstances is it ethical to inflict pain on another human being?
How would you define “unconsciousness”? Are you unconscious when you sleep? Are you conscious when you dream vividly?
Do all animals feel pain?
When you have a headache, do you take analgesia or prefer to wait until it goes away? Why do you feel this way?
If you were to undergo anaesthesia for a major operation, what level of training would you want your anaesthetist to have? Would it have to be a doctor? Would a nurse with appropriate training be OK? Would a technician (neither a doctor nor a nurse) with appropriate training be OK? Would a technician with only basic medical skills be OK? Would you be prepared to pay extra to have a doctor deliver your anaesthetic?
As part of the anaesthetic consent process, some risks are usually discussed. Some people want to know every risk, no matter how small, yet before you fly the pilot does not mention the possibility that an engine will catch fire in mid air, even though this sometimes happens and is extremely serious. How should doctors present risk to patients?
Which do you fear more, the anaesthetic or the surgery? Why? What informs these fears?
Was it OK for Arthur Guedel to repeatedly submerge his dog in water to demonstrate endotracheal intubation?
Xenon has some of the features of an ideal anaesthetic. Should we pursue xenon more avidly, to try perhaps to have it brought into daily use?
If judicial execution by lethal injection must be performed, is it acceptable to use drugs normally reserved for anaesthesia? What alternatives exist?
Is pain necessary? What would happen if you couldn’t feel pain of any type?
What value, if any, does pain in childbirth have?
Who should be admitted to Intensive Care, and who should be turned away?
There are two hypothetical anaesthetic techniques. Technique A is associated with complete survival but carries a 1% risk of full awareness with pain. Technique B is associated with complete absence of awareness but carries a 1% risk of death. You are free to choose which one, but your operation is essential. Which will you choose?