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Medical Forum / General / General / November 2004long term psychic effect of a general anaesthesia
Hi, Sorry, I speak french, but on fr.sci.psychologie there is only some mad guys like "I'm a Elvis. I'm the King"... So I try to ask a hard to explain (even in french) question in english. Around twenty years back, I has a general anaesthesia due to a broken arm. That was a strange experience because I didn't felt anything. I just remind that I was talking to somebody, and then "black screen". Nothing. I've switched off. There is no similarity with a "sleeping pill". When you use a "sleeping pill", you can feel when you will start to sleep. But the problem is that during around 9-10 years after, my mind was "outside" my body when I was not talking to somebody else or not "interacting" with sombody else. Actually this problem is gone, everything is fine again. But I met an old friend who had 2 general anaesthesia in 2 days. That was ten years ago. And now he told me that he is feeling strange. So my question is where can I find some "simple" (like the "for the dummies" in the computer science) documentation about the long term effects of a general anaesthesia, on the web ? (Google is fine for "Linux", but for "anaesthesia" it's not very good ;-) Or does anybody had similar experience ? Thank you in advance. Jean-Marc > Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > Thank you in advance. > Jean-Marc What reason would someone have to suppose 10 years later that it was the anesthesia that was responsible? I have heard speculation that patients in general anesthesia actually feel surgical pain on some level, but I'm not aware of the basis for this speculation. Of course, if the general anesthesia was connected to some major, life-transforming surgery or illness, it would be tough I think to distinguish any psychic changes due to anesthesia, surgery, change in lifestyle, etc. Steve  SignatureMark & Steven Bornfeld DDS http://www.dentaltwins.com Brooklyn, NY 718-258-5001 > What reason would someone have to suppose 10 years later that it was > the anesthesia that was responsible? Because this is the only "medical" act that has been done on my brain. I'm not really certain that is this related to the anesthesia. Because, yes, it could be due to a lifestyle change too. One year after the anesthesia, I've gone to another school that was more far from my home. That could be the real reason of my "mind outside my body". I want to be more certain. And if my friend thinks the same, maybe someone else around the world thinks it too. But I would like to have facts, not "feels". > Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > web ? > (Google is fine for "Linux", but for "anaesthesia" it's not very good ;-) There won't be any lingering effects of the general anesthesia after the various drugs and their metabolites have been cleared from the body especially not 10 years later. However, their could be some neurological effects if, during the course of that general anesthetic, the brain became hypoxic due to inadequate oxygenation (due to inadequate ventilation) and brain damage occurred as a result. Such brain damage might also be seen as a direct result of toxicity from the anesthetic agent. Both of these events would be extremely rare in the case of proper, modern anesthetic technique. HMc > brain damage occurred as a result. Such brain damage might also be seen as a > direct result of toxicity from the anesthetic agent. Both of these events > would be extremely rare in the case of proper, modern anesthetic technique. Yes, that one of my questions. Do they gave me an "overdose" ? Is this normal to not feel anything before the "black screen" ? >> brain damage occurred as a result. Such brain damage might also be seen >> as [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > Yes, that one of my questions. Do they gave me an "overdose" ? > Is this normal to not feel anything before the "black screen" ? Who knows what "normal" is? It's going to vary from person to person due to variability in physiology and variability in emotional interpretation of the experience. Your question is pretty much unanswerable on the basis of any scientific study, because of the above. The odds are vastly in favor of your whole experience being psychological. I say this not based on any objective data, but based on many years of experience. HMc > Your question is pretty much unanswerable on the basis of any scientific > study, because of the above. The odds are vastly in favor of your whole > experience being psychological. I say this not based on any objective data, > but based on many years of experience. Yes, that's mabye true. I'm a very "emotive" person, so I think that this is the right answer. Thank you very much. >>brain damage occurred as a result. Such brain damage might also be seen as > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Yes, that one of my questions. Do they gave me an "overdose" ? > Is this normal to not feel anything before the "black screen" ? Many anesthesiologists use ultra-short-acting barbiturates--you become unconscious in seconds. Furthermore, many anesthetics have an amnesic effect, so even if it took a while for you to become unconscious it is likely you would have no memory for it afterwards. Steve SignatureMark & Steven Bornfeld DDS http://www.dentaltwins.com Brooklyn, NY 718-258-5001 This is a very interesting topic. I've been aware of it since a person well known to me had a surgery under general anesthesia, and came back changed. In my view, diminished. It was a serious difference, and I've been asking myself ever since, *what happened*? The hypoxia thesis mentioned above, certainly is one possibility. If you imagine your brain's functional structure as from most-abstract down to basic vegetative processes, then the hypoxia effect starts at the top. For example, think of people who have been "brought back" after something like a child in cold water for an hour, etc. A kind of awareness returns, but the person has a lifelong deficit you can't miss. But *what else*? Can anyone here refer to studies of brain function change after anesthesia? I think this is a very interesting topic, one which could become important to anyone here. Of course Google et al are resources, but can someone here speak to the topic from joint bases of expert knowledge and personal observation and experience? Cheers -- Martha Adams |
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