anaesthesia = no feeling
local anaesthesia (= local analgesia) = blockade of transmission in peripheral nerves or spinal cord, usually to try to stop pain signals. (Since most nerves are mixed, motor as well as sensory fibres are nearly always blocked.) The term “local analgesia” is better since pain, but not all feeling, is blocked.
regional anaesthesia / analgesia = block of a major nerve supplying an area of the body using a local anaesthetic drug.
spinal anaesthesia / analgesia = blockade of sensation from large areas of the body by putting a local anaesthetic around the spinal cord.
general anaesthesia = a combination of unconsciousness, analgesia and muscle relaxation produced by a completely different set of drugs (more later)
Some local anaesthetics are used as anti-arrhythmics or anti-convulsants (see cardiovascular notes).
Chemistry
Mechanism of action
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Use dependence
Differential block
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Politics