Some look at the effects of general anesthesia as just being "put to sleep", but this is not the case. The effects of anesthesia can be more closely related to a reversible coma than to a deep sleep. The basic design of general anesthesia consists of multiple parts. Pressurized gases are supplied by cylinders or pipelines that go through hose assemblies. These gases are then passed to anesthetic machines which then control the flow of gases and pass them through a vaporizer. The resulting mixture is then passed to the patient through circuits and masks. The purpose of circuits is to deliver oxygen and anesthetic gases while eliminating carbon dioxide with CO2 absorbers like soda lime. Sometimes, tubes are used to administer anesthesia instead.

Laryngoscopes help with intubation, which is the process of inserting an endotracheal tube through the mouth and then into the airway. This allows a patient to be placed on a ventilator to assist with breathing during anesthesia. During surgery flowmeters and regulators are used to regulate gas pressures.

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