Introduction

Anesthesia is a medical procedure which is deliberately produced to make a patient insensible to pain either in a part or in the whole of the body by which diagnostic and surgical procedure are done while the patient safety and comforts are maintained. Anesthesia procedure is a risky procedure and may take the patient life in danger to the extent of permanent organ damage and death unless it is performed by well trained person and vigilant care is given throughout the procedure. Although it is risky anesthesia is now much safer and more pleasant than the previous period. Factors contributing to the improvements include a full understanding of physiology and pharmacology; better preoperative assessment and preparation of the patient, closer monitoring of anesthetized patients and the introduction of new techniques. To meet the competency need of anesthesia service the student should start to learn the principles of anesthesia and their responsibility as anesthetist in the surgical health care team. In this study session you will learn the principles and components of anesthesia, history of anesthesia and the role of nurse anesthetist in performing anesthetic procedure safely.