General Anaesthetics

GENERAL ANAESTHESIA

You can only receive a general anaesthetic in a hospital operating room.

A general anaesthetic in Australian capital cities can only be delivered by a specialist medical practitioner.

Typically, you will arrive least an hour or more before your surgery, and typically be discharged home around 3 hours after the completion of surgery for short procedures( around 30-120 mins) such as extractions or dental implants.

With a general anaesthetic you will be deeply asleep ( unconscious) and completely unaware while your procedure is performed.

Whilst asleep, the anaesthetist inserts a breathing instrument into your mouth in order to deliver oxygen, the anaesthetic, or both.

Sometimes the anaesthetic is delivered by intravenous drugs alone, but you will still be given a breathing instrument in order to administer oxygen.

Your surgeon can advise you as to whether your procedure is best done under general anaesthesia.

SLEEP DENTISTRY

Sleep Dentistry is a term used to describe the administration of sedative drugs to make you comfortable, pain free and at ease.

You will usually have either no memory, or very little memory, of your surgical procedure.

There are many different ways of providing sleep dentistry.
It can involve giving tablets, injections, gases or combinations of these.

At VOFS, our specialist anaesthetists will deliver you state of the art sedation using only ultra-short acting intravenous sedation agents.

• We deliberately AVOID the use of tablets to provide sedation- they leave you too sleepy for too long afterwards, and the dose , once the tablet is given, cannot be adjusted
• We deliberately AVOID the use of laughing gas ( associated with high rates of nausea) and benzodiazepines ( valium or midazlolam like drugs, which leave you sleepy and delay your discharge)
• We deliberately USE ultra-short acting narcotics in order to minimise/eliminate the pain of injecting local anaesthetics into the area in which your surgeon will be working.

Our sedation is provided by the use of multiple state of the art Alaris PK Computerised Pump Systems, which deliver carefully titrated doses of Propofol and Remifentanil according to your age and body weight.

The computer, guided by your experienced anaesthetist, takes you safely on a journey into pleasant dreamland.

The fact that patients are awake and pain free at the end of the procedure, and ready for discharge shortly afterwards, supports our contention that our anaesthetists and the techniques they use deliver the ultimate in modern anaesthesia care.

We can offer you the alternative of Sleep Oral Surgery at our fully equipped Sleep Oral & Maxillofacial sedation facility located at Victorian Oral and Facial Surgeons, 795 Nepean HWY, Brighton East Vic, 3187 and 1022 Nepean HWY, Mornington Vic, 3931.

BEFORE GENERAL ANAESTHETIC

• No food or liquids (including water) for six (6) hours prior to the appointment.
• No smoking at least 12 hours before surgery. Ideally, cut down or stop smoking as soon as possible prior to the day of surgery.
• A responsible adult must accompany the patient to the hospital, remain in the hospital during the procedure, and drive the patient home.
• The patient is not to drive a vehicle or operate any machinery for 24 hours following the anesthesia experience.
• Wear loose fitting clothing with sleeves which can be rolled up past the elbow, and low-heeled shoes.
• Contact lenses, jewelry, and dentures must be removed at the time of surgery.
• Do not wear lipstick, excessive makeup, or nail polish on the day of surgery.
• If you have an illness such as a cold, sore throat, stomach or bowel upset, please notify the office.
• If you take routine oral medications, please check with your doctor prior to your surgical date for instructions.

BOOKING FOR HOSPITAL

Please telephone the practice on 03 9592 6445 to make or confirm bookings for your hospital surgical procedure.

Please fill out the hospitals on line pre-admission registration forms as soon as possible.

HOSPITAL ADMISSION TIME

On booking with our practice you will be given your admission time.

Please bring a good book or some music as there may be a period of waiting prior to your surgery.

FASTING

You are required to fast, nothing but air past your lips, for 8 hours prior to your admission time unless otherwise advised by the anaesthetist.

The anaesthetist will cancel the surgery in order to avoid complications if your are not fasted.

RECOVERY TIME

Recovery from a General Anaesthetic for day stay surgery patients is usually between 2-4 hours depending on the procedure.

The nursing staff will ensure you are safe prior to discharging you from hospital.

GOING HOME

There is no driving for 24 hours after a general anaesthetic. You will also be required to have someone be with you for the first night post-operatively to assist if any problems arise.

Our practice and the hospital will provide contact numbers in case of an emergency or ring 000 in case of an emergency.

CARERS CERTIFICATE

Please advise us if a carers certificate is required so this can be provided on the day of surgery.

ILLNESS PRIOR TO OR ON THE DAY OF SURGERY

Please contact the practice and the anaesthetist if you have a cough, cold or illness prior to surgery. It may be necessary to reschedule your appointment depending on the surgery and illness.

TOOTHACHE OR SWELLING PRIOR TO THE DAY OF SURGERY

Please contact our surgery if you develop severe toothache or swelling prior to your surgery, we may be able to reschedule your surgery to an earlier time.

PAYMENT OF ACCOUNT

Surgery fees are payable prior to surgery.

There is a $500 non-refundable booking fee on all hospital bookings. Please contact your health fund or hospital to determine the exact hospital fees.

Please discuss anaesthetic fees directly with the anaesthetist whose details we will provide to you.