General anesthesia is the version most people picture first. This page starts with how published sources define it and then asks where those definitions meet a real patient's situation.
The definition most guides start from
MedlinePlus defines it this way: general anesthesia is treatment with certain medicines that puts you into a deep sleep-like state so you do not feel pain during surgery.
That definition describes what the treatment is meant to do. It does not describe who the treatment is built around.
The safety statement and what it assumes
MedlinePlus also states that general anesthesia is generally safe because of modern equipment, medicines, and safety standards.
The key word is generally. A general statement describes the usual patient, so it holds until your own situation differs from the usual one. A condition you manage, or a medicine you take, is the kind of detail that decides whether a general statement applies to you.
Comparing how sources explain it
Different sources describe the same treatment with different emphasis. Cleveland Clinic's overview of anesthesia is one place to start.
The NHS page on general anaesthetic offers another description. Read both and note which questions each one leaves unanswered.
What a surgeon decides for you
A published definition cannot choose the plan for one person. The anesthesia team makes that choice with your surgeon, using your history. The published sources give you words for the conversation, not the answer.
What to raise before you decide
Ask which type of anesthesia is planned and why it was chosen for you. The American Society of Anesthesiologists has a page on the types of anesthesia, which gives you the vocabulary to follow the answer.
Raise every health condition and every medicine before the decision is made. A plan chosen with the full picture is easier to trust than one adjusted afterward.