There are three phases to any anaesthetic.

• Start or induction phase: In the case of a general anaesthetic the anaesthetist gives you the drugs that make you lose consciousness, or he or she performs the nerve block that makes part of you numb (as in a spinal or an epidural).

In some hospitals, you are taken directly into the Operating Room and then given your anaesthetic. In other hospitals, you are taken into a smaller room adjacent to the Operating Room. This smaller room is known as the Anaesthetic Induction Room, as it is where the anaesthetic is ‘induced’ or started.

In either case, you will have ‘routine monitors’ attached, which are used for virtually every patient. These include an ECG ( electrocardiograph), a pulse oximeter probe, and a blood pressure cuff. In addition, in most cases an intravenous line is started, usually in a vein in the back of one of your hands or in a vein in your forearm.

• Middle or maintenance phase: The anaesthetist ensures that you remain anaesthetised until the surgical, diagnostic or other treatment procedure is completed.

• End or emergence phase: The anaesthetist stops giving you the anaesthetic drugs, allows them to wear off, and/or gives you other drugs to reverse their effects, so that you regain consciousness or sensation.