Dr. Rowan Molnar (#DrRowanMolnarAustralia): Understanding General Anaesthesia

Posted by Molnar on October 20th, 2015

General anaesthesia is one of the most common forms of pain relief provided to patients during surgical procedures. After being administered general anaesthesia patients are unable to sense pain and experience a lack of awareness. This type of anaesthesia is delivered by a specialist anaesthesiologist like Dr. Rowan Molnar (#DrRowanMolnarAustralia), a former member of the surgical support team of the Australian government and currently Staff Specialist Anaesthetist at Launceston General Hospital, often with the use of an anaesthesia ventilator. The delivery of medications impairs the patient’s ability to breathe with the assistance of the anaesthesiologist. In order to maximize patient safety, an endotracheal tube or airway device such as a laryngeal mask airway is used.

How general anaesthesia is administered

General anaesthesia Dr. Rowan Molnar (#DrRowanMolnarAustralia) involves the use of a variety of medications and can be administered by various methods. This includes inhalation after an intravenous injection in which the patient breathes anaesthetic gases that are quickly absorbed by the lungs and delivered to the brain and spinal cord through the blood stream. General anaesthesia is performed by an anaesthesiologist with specialized training in anaesthesia who remains with the patient throughout the surgical procedure. One of their main tasks is to constantly monitor a patient’s heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen delivery, and electrocardiogram. While general anaesthesia reduces the ability of patients to sense pain throughout the body, local anaesthesia is used to produce numbness only in specific areas and reduce pain and sensation. This type of anaesthesia works by blocking impulses that transfer pain to the sensory nerves.

Anaesthesiologists play a vital role in helping patients cope with pain before, during and after surgery.

Some also specialize in treating chronic pain unrelated to surgery. They have the education, training and experience to diagnose, evaluate and treat patients with chronic pain through medication and pain procedures.  According to Dr. Rowan Molnar (#DrRowanMolnar), Head of Discipline, Anaesthesia, at University of Tasmania Clinical School, treating chronic pain is a complex process. This is because of the delicate structure and anatomy of the spine and nerves and the strength of pain medication required on which chronic pain interventions are performed. For the most part, anaesthesiologists are the forefront in the development of new methods to treat chronic pain and pain in cancer patients. Several anaesthesiologists use a multidisciplinary approach to pain medicine and work in collaboration with other medical specialists to ensure that patients receive the best possible pain management.

Treating acute pain

While anaesthesiologists play a vital role in providing pain relief to patients during a surgical procedure, they play a significant role in providing adequate pain relief postoperatively. They are responsible to ensure that patients are in minimal discomfort after they are discharged from the post anaesthesia care unit. In such a setting, they prescribe specific medications or perform specialised procedures to enhance a patient’s level of comfort and minimise stress, and allow for proper rest and healing. Specialists like Dr. Rowan Molnar (#DrRowanMolnar) are well experienced in providing different types of therapies to ensure that patients are exposed to the best possible pain management.

Dr Rowan Molnar, Rowan Molnar, Dr Rowan Molnar Australia, Rowan Molnar Australia, Dr Rowan Molnar Melbourne Australia