Anesthesia and Pain Management

At Bridgeport Hospital, we want to make your stay as comfortable and pain-free as possible.

Our highly trained physician anesthesiologists and certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) have a wide range of anesthetics and pain medications available, plus the latest monitoring and anesthetic technology, which enable them to care for a variety of patients, women in labor and children.

Most Common Used Types of Pain Relief  

General Anesthesia

Temporarily makes you unconscious so that you cannot feel pain. A combination of inhaled and IV agents can be used.

Regional Anesthesia

Blocks pain signals from the area where the procedure is performed. Can only be used for certain areas, such as the lower body or an arm.

Monitored Anesthesia Care with Sedation

A local anesthetic that blocks pain to a small area as your anesthesia provider monitors you closely while giving you potent sedatives, narcotic pain medicines and other medications to prevent anxiety and make you comfortable.

Before deciding on the right anesthesia or analgesia, the staff will review your medical history and briefly examine you. Other factors include the type and length of the procedure, your primary physician's or surgeon's preferences and your own.

For information, please call the Department of Anesthesiology at (203) 384-3463.

Learn more about Pain Relief During Labor

Learn more about Acute and Chronic Pain Management

Pain Management Definitions

Here are a few definitions that can help you understand pain-control techniques.

Anesthesia involves loss of feeling and possibly loss of consciousness.

Analgesia blocks the pain without losing consciousness.

Sedation makes you relaxed and drowsy, but not unconscious. You may fall asleep while sedated. Sedation can be mild, moderate or deep. Deeply sedated patients do not remember and are not awake.

IV (intravenous) medications are delivered into the vein through a thin plastic catheter or tube.