Used in procedures that require significant invasive techniques. It consists of the administration of powerful intravenous drugs and requires maintenance of respiratory function through artificial techniques (laryngeal mask, intubation). Thanks to the development of general anesthesia, large surgical interventions can be performed that allow the approach of the most complex diseases.
It usually requires hospitalization and sometimes intensive surveillance after the intervention. However, the great development of anesthesiology in recent years has dramatically improved post-anesthetic recovery, which has led to achievements unthinkable a few decades ago. Today it is possible to return home on the same day of a surgical intervention under general anesthesia (in selected cases).