Unique and gentle anaesthesia for breast operations

People who wake up from an anaesthetic often feel exhausted and suffer from nausea. Added to this is the pain from the surgical wounds. It takes time before you are able to function properly again. However, there are gentler anaesthesia options that can significantly reduce the after-effects.

"Any breast operation can be performed with a partial anaesthetic," says Dr Henrik Sjöström, Head of Anaesthesia at Bethesda Hospital. Basically, you can do everything from minor procedures to the total removal of the breast." This requires a regional anaesthetic, in which certain nerves are numbed. "This is nothing new, as this procedure was developed 100 years ago. Today, it can be carried out more gently thanks to modern anaesthetic tools." Specifically, the nerves that lead to the breast are anaesthetised from the back. Bethesda Hospital specialises in this method, which is known as a paravertebral block. "We anaesthetise the nerves that emerge next to the spine. This requires two injections in the back. This makes the breast insensitive and you can operate as normal".

Patients do not find these injections unpleasant. "They are well prepared with calming and relaxing medication, so they don't notice much of it. " The anaesthesia team also uses hypnosis techniques and lets the patient listen to music to create a pleasant atmosphere. This is confirmed time and again by those who have just undergone surgery. "This is important because the patients are in an exceptional situation anyway. That's why good support is important and the patient always has someone by her side during the operation."

Unique in the region

The great advantage of this anaesthesia technique is that opiates and morphine-based drugs can be omitted. "For the elderly in particular, general anaesthesia has disadvantages and risks that you want to avoid, such as delirium, i.e. a state of confusion after the operation. We can offer this gentle option here."

Another argument in favour of this method is that the blockade lasts until the next day. After the operation, the patient is also given painkillers so that she feels nothing. This combination means that no strong medication is needed. "With this partial anaesthesia, you have fewer side effects and are fit again much more quickly," Dr Sjöström sums up. In many cases, this can also reduce or even prevent scar pain.

How the anaesthetic is administered is decided by the patient individually. "There are those who only want a partial anaesthetic and those who want a twilight sleep, which is induced with low-dose medication. You also recover quickly from this." If someone is afraid of a general anaesthetic, this procedure also offers a good alternative. The options can be discussed with the anaesthetists during the anaesthesia consultation.

"We administer the injection under ultrasound guidance. This allows us to inject precisely because we can see exactly where which nerve is passing through." Almost the entire anaesthesia team has undergone further training in this area and has the necessary certificate of competence. Bethesda Hospital is a pioneer in paravertebral blocks throughout Switzerland. "We are the only ones in the region to offer this."