Hip and knee joint operations can generally be performed under general anesthesia (general anesthesia) or partial anesthesia (spinal anesthesia). You will discuss the exact anesthesia procedure with the anesthesiologist (anesthetist) on admission or during the preliminary consultation. You can express your preference for one of the two anesthesia procedures. In rare cases, there may be medical reasons for one or the other procedure.
From our surgical point of view, we favor partial anesthesia. It has the advantage that the perception of pain is interrupted during the operation. This means that the pain practically does not reach your brain, which, according to studies, has a positive effect on postoperative pain perception. In addition, the muscles are completely relaxed during the operation. This is important for our muscle-sparing, minimally invasive techniques, especially for hip prostheses. Even with partial anesthesia, you can also be given a light sedative so that you are not aware of the operation.
How does a partial anesthetic work?
How does general anesthesia work?