General Anaesthesia
When you have a general anaesthetic you are made temporarily unconscious by th euse of certain medicines. This state of temporary unconsciousness is controlled by your anaesthetist, who administers the appropriate drugs and gases to ensure that you are pain free and safely remain in this unconscious state.
These drugs are administered via your bloodstream (through a vein), or in the case of anaesthetic gases,  via your lungs.

Local/Regional Anaesthesia
Local or regional anaesthetics are designed to numb part of your body so that you do not feel pain whilst the procedure/operation is being performed. During an epidural, spinal or regional local anaesthetic block, the anaesthetist may allow you to be awake whilst undergoing your operation.

• Local anaesthetics may be injected or applied to the area just around the operative site.
• Regional local anaesthesia is where local anaesthetic is placed close to the large nerves, which supply sensation to the area of surgery (e.g. for an operation in your hand the brachial plexus of nerves may be blocked as it traverses the neck on its way from the spine in your neck down your arm to your hand).
• Epidural injections of local anaesthetic are used to assist with pain relief during labor for childbirth, and can also be run continuously after an operation to assist with pain relief. Epidurals are where local anaesthetic is injected into your back and spreads out around the nerves as they leave the spinal chord. The needles used to administer this local anaesthetic are very carefully placed and you may be asked to lie a particular way assist the anaesthetist in finding the exact position.

Once the local anaesthetic has been injected, the area will become numb. You will still be aware that the operation is being performed but you will feel no pain. The local anaesthetic will gradually wear off after the operation until sensation returns.