The medical specialty is concerned with [[anesthesia]] (loss of sensation) and [[anesthetic]]s (substances that cause this loss). Anesthesia is a total or partial loss of sensation with or without the loss of consciousness.

The American Society of Anesthesiologists defines anesthesiology as "a practice of medicine dedicated to the relief of [[pain]] and total care of the surgical patient before, during, and after surgery."
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[[Journal of neurosurgical anesthesiology]].