Introduction: During the operation of general anesthesia, patients often fall asleep from the awake state in a short time, as if experiencing a cycle of life and death.
However, have you ever thought about what it would be like to wake up under anesthesia? According to the Southern Metropolis Daily, Miss Ye from Shenzhen once underwent a horrific general anesthesia operation.
Miss Ye was lying peacefully on the operating table and successfully entered a state of general anesthesia, however, in a half-asleep and half-awake state, she suddenly felt a sharp pain like a knife. She clearly felt that her body was being manipulated, her organs were stirred, and the feeling of panic and helplessness instantly came to her heart.
With a tube in her throat, she could not scream, but could only bear it in silence, and in her conscious state, she burst into tears on the operating table, suffering great pain in her heart, but no one knew that she had woken up from her deep sleep.
The surgery caused Ms. Ye to suffer from severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), what caused her to wake up under anesthesia?
After checking the monitoring, it turned out that the anesthesiologist left his post during the operation, resulting in the blockage of the anesthetic infusion tube and the insufficient efficacy of the anesthetic, which was a serious medical accident and deeply distressed.
What will happen to the body after surgery under general anesthesia?
Surgical general anesthesia is a method of anesthesia that puts the patient completely unconscious and painless to ensure the safety and comfort of the patient during surgery, under surgical general anesthesia, the patient's body experiences the following:
- Loss of consciousness: General anesthesia causes the patient to lose consciousness completely, unable to perceive external stimuli and pain;
- Coma: the patient is in an unconscious state and does not have any memories and perceptions;
- Painless: Under general anesthesia, the patient will not feel the pain during the operation;
- Respiratory and circulatory system monitoring and support: Under general anesthesia, the anesthesiologist closely monitors the patient's respiratory and circulatory systems to ensure they are stable. They may use a ventilator to assist the person's breathing while giving appropriate medications to keep blood pressure and heart rate stable;
- Muscle relaxation: Under general anesthesia, the doctor may use muscle relaxation medications to relax the patient's muscles, which can help ensure a smooth operation and reduce anesthesia-related complications;
- Anesthesia depth control: The anesthesiologist will control the depth of anesthesia according to the needs of the operation and the patient's condition, and they will adjust the dose of anesthetic according to the monitoring indicators to ensure that the patient is in the appropriate state of anesthesia.
General anesthesia is equivalent to dying once?
Can general anesthesia really equate to a death experience? For those who have never experienced anesthesia, it may be very curious, but in fact, people who have experienced general anesthesia will tell you that it feels like experiencing a death.
Anesthesia is an indispensable part of the procedure, regardless of the size of the surgery, and before the surgery begins, the anesthesiologist will deliver anesthetic drugs into the patient's body by intravenous injection or gas inhalation, and these drugs will quickly enter the blood circulation and be transmitted to the brain tissue, causing nerve cells to temporarily stop transmitting information.
The patient is immediately anesthetized, unconscious, not feeling any pain, and unaware of the procedure.
It is often said that general anesthesia is similar to death, but the most fundamental reason is that both can cause people to lose consciousness, and in the state of general anesthesia, the patient seems to have stepped into an unconscious realm and lost contact with the real world.
Death, on the other hand, is the complete separation of living beings from the real world, and although anesthesia can make people unconscious, it is reversible and a controllable process.
Therefore, although general anesthesia may give people a feeling of "dying once", in fact, it is fundamentally different from real death, it is a scientific and safe technical means, making the surgical process painless and comfortable, and allowing patients to recover their health in the shortest possible time.
There is also a difference between general anesthesia and death
Although both are unconscious, there is a significant difference between general anesthesia and death, although both are unconscious, death is the final stage of the end of life, which means permanent loss of consciousness, while general anesthesia is a reversible process with three stages.
First of all, the anesthesia induction stage is the initial stage of general anesthesia, in this stage, the anesthesiologist will accurately calculate the dose of anesthetic drugs according to the patient's personal circumstances such as weight, height, medical history, etc., this step is crucial because the appropriate dose can ensure that the patient remains unconscious during the procedure while avoiding adverse effects.
Secondly, the anesthesia maintenance stage is the stage during the operation, the patient remains unconscious, due to the different types and difficulty of the operation, the dose of anesthetic drugs in the induction period may not be enough to maintain the entire surgical process. Therefore, anesthesiologists need to supplement the maintenance dose of anesthetic according to the progress of the surgery to ensure that the patient's vital signs remain stable and the surgery can proceed smoothly.
Finally, the anesthesia recovery stage is at the end of the operation, the anesthesiologist will gradually stop the drug according to the course of the operation, the key to this stage is to make the various anesthetic drugs invalid at the end of the operation, so that the patient can wake up smoothly, the anesthesiologist's precise operation can reduce the patient's pain and ensure the smooth progress of the surgical process.
Anesthesiologists play a vital role throughout the procedure, they need to have not only a wealth of medical knowledge, but also a wealth of clinical experience and superb skills, an experienced anesthesiologist can ensure the safety and smooth conduct of the operation, and alleviate the pain of the patient.
Does anesthesia really damage memory?
In fact, the mechanism of action of general anesthesia is to inhibit the central nervous system and make it "dormant" so that the operation can be carried out smoothly, but this inhibition will not cause permanent damage to the brain, let alone a decline in intelligence.
The so-called "postoperative cognitive dysfunction" is actually a transient phenomenon, mainly due to temporary memory loss caused by the residue of anesthetic drugs in the body, with the metabolism of anesthetic drugs, this inhibition will gradually be lifted, and the patient's memory will soon return to normal.
Currently, there is no evidence that general anesthesia has a negative effect on neurodevelopment, however, there is some risk in children younger than 3 years of age, because the nervous system of children under 3 years of age is not yet fully developed.
If they have undergone more than 3 surgeries, and each operation lasts more than 3 hours, it may affect their memory and cognitive ability, so for children under 3 years of age who are not emergency and have a limited time, it is generally recommended to have surgery after 3 years of age.
Why do doctors keep waking up patients after surgery?
First of all, from a medical point of view, waking up the patient helps the doctor to assess his postoperative state of consciousness and neurological function, and by communicating with the patient, the doctor can detect potential complications or abnormalities in a timely manner, such as brain complications or postoperative hemorrhage.
In addition, waking the patient can help monitor the stability of their vital signs and ensure that all indicators of the body are within normal limits.
Secondly, from the psychological level, waking up the patient can help reduce the anxiety and fear after surgery, the patient can understand the progress and condition of the operation after waking up, which helps to eliminate the doubts and uneasiness in the heart, and the simple communication with the doctor can also make the patient feel concerned and caring, and enhance his confidence in the treatment.
Will there be side effects after general anesthesia?
General anesthesia is a state in which the patient's consciousness disappears, the muscles of the whole body relax, the reflex activity is weakened or disappears, and the pain sensation disappears through drugs, which can facilitate the doctor to perform surgery or other medical procedures.
Generally, general anesthesia is safe, but there may be some side effects or complications, common ones include:
- Nausea and vomiting: This is one of the most common side effects after general anesthesia and usually occurs within a few hours of surgery.
- Headaches: Anesthetic medications may affect blood flow to the brain, causing headaches.
- Sore throat: Endotracheal intubation (inserting a tube in the throat to help the patient breathe) may cause a sore throat or hoarseness.
- Muscle pain: Muscle pain may be caused by muscle relaxation medications used in the same position for long periods of time or during surgery.
- Transient memory loss: Some people may experience transient memory loss or difficulty concentrating after general anesthesia.
In addition, there can be some serious complications from general anesthesia, but the incidence of these complications is usually low. For example:
- Dyspnea: Anesthetic drugs may affect the function of the respiratory muscles, causing difficulty breathing;
- Heart problems: Anesthetic medications may affect the function of the heart, causing arrhythmias or other heart problems;
- Allergic reactions: Some people may experience allergic reactions to anesthetic drugs, including rashes, shortness of breath, low blood pressure, etc.;
Overall, general anesthesia is safe, but it also requires close collaboration and monitoring between the doctor and the patient, and if you have any concerns or concerns, please consult with the doctor promptly.
How long does general anesthesia work, and does it hurt in the middle?
General anesthesia surgery is full of curiosity and uncertainty for many people, and people can't help but ask, how long does general anesthesia last, is it really possible for the patient to wake up in the middle of the operation, and in fact, the process of general anesthesia surgery is far more complex and precise than people think.
In general anesthesia surgery, anesthetic drugs are continuously infused into the patient's body, which is usually precisely controlled by an anesthesiologist, whose job it is to ensure that the depth of anesthesia matches the needs of the procedure and that the patient's vital signs remain stable throughout the procedure.
As a result, the anesthetic effect is maintained continuously from the beginning to the end of the procedure, which means that the patient does not feel any pain or discomfort during the entire procedure.
Usually, the patient will not wake up during the general anesthetic procedure, and the effect of the general anesthetic medication is to put the patient into a deep sleep and remain calm and pain-free during the procedure.
However, the patient's cooperation may be required for certain procedures, such as those involving the patient's need to react or move, in which case the doctor may adjust the dose of the anesthetic to allow the patient to wake up in the middle of the procedure.
However, it is worth noting that most general anesthesia surgeries do not require waking the patient in the middle of the procedure, and in most cases, the patient can "sleep" through the entire procedure without worrying about waking up in the middle of the procedure.
Why is it important for the anesthesiologist to be on the side all the time during surgery?
Some people have questioned why the anesthesiologist remains in the operating room after the anesthesia injection, sometimes even more nervous than the surgeon. In fact, the role of anesthesiologists in the surgical process is far from being as simple as injecting anesthesia, they are known as the guardians of life, guarding the lives of patients at critical moments.
Although anesthetic drugs can help patients resist pain, they can also upset the original balance of the body, and during the operation, the "suddenness" of anesthetic drugs may cause a series of problems, such as drug allergies, acid-base imbalances, water and electrolyte imbalances, blood loss, etc.
This requires anesthesiologists to be vigilant at all times, detect and deal with these conditions in a timely manner, during the operation, they need to add anesthetics according to the progress of the operation to ensure that the operation goes smoothly, and after the operation, they also need to closely observe the patient's condition to ensure that the patient's consciousness is restored and prevent complications.
Therefore, it can be said that anesthesiologists play a vital role at every stage of the operation, they are not only experts in providing anesthesia services, but also an indispensable member of the surgical team, escorting the safety of patients.
There are 4 precautions to keep in mind before anesthesia
Fasting before meals
Anesthesia surgery is performed on an empty stomach to prevent suffocation or lung infection caused by aspiration of food during the operation, follow the pre-meal fasting guidelines given by the doctor or anesthesiologist, usually need to stop eating solid food 6 to 8 hours before the operation, and clear liquids such as water or clear soup can be consumed within 2 to 3 hours before the surgery.
Tell your doctor or anesthesiologist about your medical history
Before anesthesia, it is important to provide a detailed medical history to the doctor or anesthesiologist, including allergies, existing medical conditions (such as heart disease, high blood pressure, etc.), and current medications, so that the doctor can assess the risks and make the best anesthesia plan.
Don't wear makeup and jewelry
Do not apply makeup, including nail polish, before surgery. Also, avoid wearing jewelry, dentures, and contact lenses to avoid interfering with the surgical process or increasing the risk.
Prepare an escort
If possible, arrange for a family member or friend to accompany you to the operating room and recovery area after surgery, who can provide support and assistance to ensure your safety and comfort.