General Anesthesia or an Epidural – Which Option is Safer?

There are plenty of women who are advised to go for the C-section or Cesarean due to any reason so such women might be wondering which option would be better – the spinal anesthesia, epidural or a general anesthesia? First get to know about the difference between them and then choose the safer option.

General Anesthesia

A general anesthesia is when a person is completely unconscious or asleep and would not be able to feel anything throughout the operation.

Epidural or Spinal Anesthesia

An epidural or spinal anesthesia is given to a specific area to numb it and the woman will stay awake as well as in her senses throughout the operation. However she may not feel the pain as there are also some sedatives given along with the epidural to make her feel calm and relaxed. But she would be able to see and hear what is going on around her.

Which option is better?

If a woman wants to stay awake during the procedure of birth then an epidural should be preferred.

However if there is a major operation then it is safer to go for the general operation because during a major operation you would be able to hear what the doctors are talking about like when to make an incision and things like this can make anyone jittery so it is safer to go for general anesthesia.

The Comparison Between the Two

When a general anesthesia is given to the patient, she may take some time to come back to her senses which is sometimes quite a bad experience for some women. This experience is not only physically upsetting but also they are choking sensations at times which is quite disorienting. However when an epidural is given, there is no loss of consciousness so there are no such feelings of disorientation etc.

The Positive and Negative Side of General Anesthesia

There are a number of positives of general anesthesia and the best is that the person will remain fully unconsciousness which means no physical pain or any sort of anxiety.

However there are some negative aspects related with the general anesthesia which are as under:

• People having heart problems can have certain complications with general anesthesia like stroke and other heart problems and in rare cases there could be a death as well.
• It may lead to lung infection as well as there are cases where harm has been found to the tongue, teeth and the vocal chords.
• Waking up from the general anesthesia is also disorienting for some women.

The Positive and Negative Side of Epidural

Though the epidural is considered to be a safer option especially when it comes to short recovery however there are also some allergic reactions found as well as bleeding around the spinal is also found.

It is not the patient who chooses between the two options rather it is doctor who looks through the various medical records as well as other things. However a woman can communicate to the doctor about her preferences, therefore effective communication with the doctor is necessary.