What happens to your body when you’re under anesthesia?

Enlarge this image Anesthesia can be administered through a mask while patients undergo surgery. czardases/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption czardases/Getty Images Anesthesia can be administered through a mask while patients undergo surgery. czardases/Getty Images Picture a relaxing scene. Maybe a beach in Tahiti, your toes in the sand, a cold drink in hand. Now imagine your favorite music playing in the background. If Dr. Alopi Patel were your anesthesiologist, that’s exactly what she’d have you do while you waited on an operating table for a surgery. She says before she puts patients under the sway of anesthesia, she likes to explain everything that will happen after they lose consciousness and lead them in guided imagery to help them relax before their procedure. She calls this “verbal anesthesia,” and says “it’s a type of anesthesia you can’t really put in an I.V.” Sponsor Message Then, she may hold your hand and put an oxygen mask over your face while she administers medication through your I.V. — and your eyes slowly start to feel heavy. This cornerstone of modern medicine makes tons of surgeries possible today. But Dr. Patel says it wasn’t always this way, and shares the history and mechanisms behind this once-controversial procedure. Curious about other breakthroughs in the history of science? Let us know by emailing [email protected]! Listen to Short Wave on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave. This episode was produced by Rachel Carlson. It was edited by Berly McCoy. Tyler Jones checked the facts. The audio engineer was Jimmy Keeley.