Anesthesia is most commonly used during painful medical procedures to keep the person from experiencing pain and discomfort. This is convenient for both the patient and the doctor. General anesthesia (narcosis) is mainly needed for surgical operations, when it is safest for a person to be unconscious. But such anesthesia has many side effects that you need to know about in advance.

Anesthesia is usually divided into three main types: general or anesthesia (when a person is put to sleep with a complete loss of consciousness), regional, including epidural, spinal, conduction (when numbness affects only the lower or upper body) and local (anesthesia of a small area of ​​​​the body) . General anesthesia uses inhalation or intravenous drugs.

Before performing general anesthesia, the anesthesiologist should have a conversation with the patient in order to learn more about the person’s medical history, their sensitivity to certain drugs, the presence or absence of allergies, past anesthesia experience, etc. All this information is necessary in order to carry out the procedure effectively. and safe, minimizing the harmful effects of anesthetics on the body. It is extremely important that the anesthesiologist, when selecting drugs and their doses, prevent the development of allergic reactions in the patient.

Most side effects after general anesthesia appear within 24 hours. After which they gradually disappear. The severity and duration of them depends on the individual characteristics of the organism and the type of operation. However, deep general anesthesia can cause dangerous complications such as postoperative delirium (common in the elderly), cognitive dysfunction, brain damage, heart attack, stroke, or malignant hyperthermia.

If the state of health after anesthesia does not improve for more than two days, then it is necessary to consult a doctor. Here are a few common side effects that occur after general anesthesia:

1. Nausea and vomiting

Feeling of nausea and vomiting is a common effect after general anesthesia. In medical terms, it is known as postoperative nausea and vomiting. They may occur in the first 24 hours after surgery and last from several hours to several days. This may depend on various factors: the type of medication, the operation, the intensity of movement and the individual characteristics of the human body. Women, people under 30, non-smokers, and those with seasickness are more likely to experience these side effects after surgery.

2. Chills and shivering

After anesthesia, a person is often covered with a warm blanket, since the feeling of cold and trembling throughout the body (hypothermia) is another unpleasant consequence of general anesthesia. This is usually due to the anesthetic interfering with the body's thermoregulation. At the same time, cutaneous vasodilation caused by postoperative pain may also be a causative factor. It is manifested by vasodilation and a decrease in pressure, which are accompanied by a feeling of cold throughout the body. Chills and trembling after anesthesia, according to statistics, men experience more often than women. In addition, this side effect can be triggered by the duration of the operation.

Tickling, dryness, coughing and sore throat are common symptoms after inhalation anesthesia. They appear due to irritation of the throat by an endotracheal tube that is inserted into the throat to keep the patient breathing. And in the process of its removal, the walls of the throat may be slightly damaged, which causes pain and discomfort during the first hours or even days after the operation. Almost half of the patients who have undergone this type of general anesthesia experience this.

Studies have shown that sore throats after such a procedure are more likely to occur in women, patients younger than 30 or older than 60, people who have undergone gynecological operations, surgical intervention in the treatment of respiratory organs, and also during anesthesia with the drug succinylcholine. To minimize this side effect, the doctor, taking into account the characteristics of the operated person, can choose alternative methods of anesthesia or use a smaller tube.

4. Headache

General and regional anesthesia is carried out with the help of potent drugs that affect the human mind. Subsequently, a person after waking up may experience a headache, dizziness and drowsiness. This is often the case with spinal and epidural anesthesia during lower body surgeries such as caesarean section, hip replacement, bladder treatment, etc. An injection given into the back can cause CSF to leak through the punctured hole.

This in turn leads to a decrease in fluid pressure in the rest of the body surrounding the brain and spinal cord, which is the main cause of headaches. It usually starts 12-24 hours after surgery. The pain intensifies when the person is in an upright position.

5. Clouding of consciousness after anesthesia

When a person begins to awaken from general anesthesia, he may feel disorientation in space, clouding of consciousness and difficulty in thinking. This is a normal reaction of the body to anesthetic drugs, which can last for several days. In older people, this effect of anesthesia lasts longer (up to several weeks) than in younger people. It should be avoided by those who have memory problems. The doctor must take this factor into account when choosing methods of anesthesia.

General anesthesia often provokes muscle pain. Medicines used to relax the muscles so that the breathing tube can be inserted down the throat can cause soreness and muscle pain. Another common cause of pain and discomfort in the neck, lower back, shoulders, and pelvis can be long-term lying in a horizontal position on a hard operating table.

Muscle pain usually appears on the first day after surgery and may last two or three days. From time to time it increases, but, as a rule, gradually goes away on its own, without additional treatment. Muscle pain after surgery is more likely to affect young women, especially those who undergo outpatient surgery, after which the person returns home on the day of surgery or a day later.

7. Injuries to the lips, gums and teeth

Another side effect that general anesthesia causes is minor damage to the oral cavity and teeth in the form of minor cuts on the lips, tongue, and front teeth. It is less common than others and is caused by a breathing tube inserted down the patient's throat during surgery. People suffering from dental and gum disease tend to be more likely to get injuries in the mouth when the breathing tube is removed than other patients. Therefore, it is also important to report problems with the teeth and gums to the anesthesiologist.

Temperature after surgery - is it normal? This question can arise in any patient who has undergone surgery. The results of thermometry, that is, body temperature measurements, are the data that the doctor relies on, assessing the patient's condition in dynamics. High numbers indicate the onset of fever, but additional testing is required to establish the exact cause. An increase in temperature after surgery is a non-specific symptom that occurs in a variety of conditions, not all of which can be called a disease.

Postoperative fever is considered to be an increase in temperature above 38.5 ° C, which is recorded at least 2 times during the first 24 hours after the completion of the operation.

However, the body temperature during the development of postoperative complications may be subfebrile - it depends on the type of pathology, the age and condition of the patient, and a number of additional factors. Therefore, other criteria for determining fever are also used - an increase in temperature of more than 37.2 ° C in the morning and more than 37.7 ° C in the evening.

Temperature after surgery in a child or adult may be due to:

1. Infection.
2. Phlebothrombosis.
3. Thyrotoxic crisis.

In some cases, fever is explained by immune disorders, the development of a rejection reaction after transplantation, the presence of a neoplasm, and exacerbation of chronic concomitant diseases. An increase in temperature in combination with a decrease in blood pressure is characteristic of acute adrenal insufficiency.

In the first hours after surgery on the stomach or other organ, the temperature may rise due to shivering. Severe shivering occurs as a compensatory reaction if the body experiences heat loss during surgery (intraoperative hypothermia) due to low temperature in the operating room, the administration of anesthetics, transfusion of solutions, and the use of respiratory mixtures that were not warm enough. The temperature reaches 38-39 ° C and normalizes after the trembling stops.

The temperature in the range of 37.1-37.4 ° C after abdominal and chest surgery can persist for several days. If the patient feels satisfactory, there are no pathological changes in the area of ​​the surgical wound, there is no reason to think about an infection or other complication.

Symptoms

Fever is usually accompanied by:

1. General malaise, drowsiness.
2. Trembling, chilliness, alternating with a feeling of heat.
3. Decrease or lack of appetite.
4. Weight loss.
5. Pain in muscles, joints.
6. Increased skin sensitivity.

High blood pressure and tachycardia (increased heart rate) are classic symptoms of a temperature reaction.

In some diseases, they are absent, the opposite phenomenon can be observed - bradycardia.

Infection

Infection is one of the most common causes of fever after knee surgery or other surgical options. Common infectious complications include:

• surgical wound infection;
• urinary tract infections;
• respiratory system infections.

According to clinical observations, the more accurate the assumption of infection, the later the fever appeared.

In the first hours after surgery on the lung, the temperature has a non-infectious origin, but if a febrile reaction occurs on the second day and at a later date, it is necessary to include an infectious pathology in the diagnostic search.

The likelihood of complications depends largely on the degree of bacterial contamination of the wound.

Temperature after abdominal surgery for appendicitis is observed, as a rule, with a belated intervention and the presence of peritonitis. If the lumen of the digestive, respiratory and urinary tract is opened, the wound is considered conditionally contaminated, the risk of purulent infection increases by 5-10% compared to a clean wound surface (during prosthetics, herniotomy). Open fractures, fecal peritonitis are classified as contaminated wounds, infection in which is observed in almost 50% of cases.

In addition to wound infection, complications can be caused by artificial ventilation of the lungs (pneumonia), the use of a urethral catheter (cystitis), venous access (thrombophlebitis). The temperature after the operation to remove the gallbladder above 38.5 ° C should suggest a possible purulent infection (liver abscess, subdiaphragmatic abscess, peritonitis). The list of possible infectious diseases, one way or another associated with surgery, is quite wide. Assume infection is necessary in the presence of fever after surgery, pain, redness and swelling in the area of ​​the surgical wound, the presence of purulent discharge.

It is necessary to pay attention not only to the presence of fever.

It is important to assess its duration, the time of occurrence, the presence of sharp drops and rises in temperature, as well as symptoms indicating the localization of the lesion.

For example, if the temperature after heart surgery is combined with weakness, chills, and the appearance of heart murmurs, there is reason to suspect infective endocarditis.

The basis of treatment is antibiotic therapy. If the penetration of the infection is associated with a urethral or venous catheter, it must be removed. When a purulent focus (abscess, phlegmon) is formed, surgical intervention is required.

Phlebothrombosis

During anesthesia, the activity of the blood coagulation system increases, blood flow slows down. Phlebothrombosis is a probable complication of general anesthesia with the use of muscle relaxants, more often observed in patients older than 40 years. The risk of blood clots in the veins increases with a large volume of surgery, duration of surgery over 4 hours, obesity, varicose veins of the lower extremities. A symptom of thrombosis may be temperature after surgery to remove the tumor.

Clinical manifestations of deep vein thrombosis of the lower extremities:

1. Weakness, fever.
2. Swelling and pain in limbs.
3. Pale or bluish discoloration of the skin.

Patients require bed rest, an elevated position, and elastic bandaging of the limb. Anticoagulants (fraxiparin, heparin, phenylin), antiplatelet agents (chimes, trental) are prescribed. Thrombolysis (thrombus dissolution with the introduction of streptokinase, streptase) is used according to strict indications because of the risk of bleeding. Thrombus removal can also be done surgically.

Thyrotoxic crisis

One of the most likely endocrine disorders in the postoperative period is a thyrotoxic crisis - a condition caused by a sharp increase in the level of thyroid hormones in the blood.

Occurs in patients with diffuse toxic goiter in case of late detection of pathology and / or lack of adequate therapy. During the operation, the body experiences stress associated with anesthesia and surgery - this is a trigger for the development of a thyrotoxic crisis. The following symptoms are observed:

High temperature after surgery on the thyroid gland, intestines and other organs, which is a manifestation of a thyrotoxic crisis, is an indication for emergency medical care. Thyrostatic drugs (mercasolil), beta-blockers (anaprilin, propranolol), glucocorticosteroids (prednisolone), infusion therapy are used.

What did not like:

1. The cost of treatment is very high. (2700 for a tooth with pulpitis, 500 rubles examination by a pediatrician, 500 rubles insurance, 300 examinations by a dentist before treatment).
2. Pulpitis was found in eight teeth that we treated. I DO NOT BELIEVE. His lower teeth were quite decent, ordinary caries (two different clinics said so). (It's just easier to treat pulpitis (the nerve killed, reamed and that's it), and more expensive). In general, there are doubts that these were all pulpitis, but there is no evidence.
3. Examination by a pediatrician before anesthesia seemed to me not complete enough. They measured the temperature, listened to the heartbeat, looked at the outpatient card from the clinic and that's it. (Or should it be?)
4. Oh-oh-oh, I didn’t like the anesthesia itself ... The child was still scared. I was going through. After anesthesia (but this is how it is for someone), the child vomited heavily, was lethargic. (Although I saw how many children, waking up, got up and went home cheerful). And after the second anesthesia, we were generally terrified. :(In the evening, a high temperature rose, they called an ambulance. True, everyone says in unison that this is not from anesthesia and not from filling materials. But before the treatment, the child was absolutely healthy. The temperature subsided quickly, without medication. In the morning, the child was in perfect order So it remained a mystery.
5. Yes, before anesthesia for 4 hours, do not eat or drink, it was painful, especially not to drink.

What we liked:

1. Made very well, you can’t even see that these are fillings. As the doctors said, our child has teeth like a Hollywood star.
2. The seals were given an eternal guarantee, i.e. if something happens to the seal (a piece falls off for example), then it will be repaired for free. (These teeth will last up to 12 years, so the guarantee is quite worthy).
3. All the same, in such a short period of time, all the teeth were cured at once - this is a plus. I can’t imagine how much time it would take, and, in general, then nerves (considering the child’s fear), if done one by one under the local.
4. Polite staff. (Everyone tells and shows). Attentive to the child.
5. The clinic is clean, beautiful, the playroom is equipped with cartoons and toys for you.
6. Now I have a discount card with a 10% discount. And free checkups for a year.

So here are the things. I will now have the most thorough control of my child's teeth. If treatment is required, anesthesia, of course, I don’t want to do more! I'd rather keep him by force if we don't persuade him. I was scared from anesthesia, he felt bad, I don’t want to anymore.
Sorry, everything is written a little chaotically, I just wrote in a hurry from work.

Is it worth it to panic at the word "anesthesia"? Should I be afraid of general anesthesia, and if so, what is its danger to the child? What are the consequences of such anesthesia? Let's find out.

General anesthesia for a child

The baby will be operated under general anesthesia. But just the thought of anesthesia makes you shudder. This happens to many parents. And all because there are a lot of rumors and conjectures around general anesthesia. It's time to find out once and for all which of this is true and which is an absolute myth.

What is the danger of general anesthesia for a child?

Many parents believe that general anesthesia is very dangerous for a child, but they don’t know what exactly. The main fear is that the baby will not wake up after surgery. Such cases do occur - in one situation out of a hundred. And as a rule, death is in no way associated with anesthesia. In the vast majority of these cases, death occurs as a result of the operation itself.

So what is the danger of general anesthesia for a child? We can talk about the negative only in the context of contraindications. The doctor is obliged to analyze them thoroughly. And only after the analysis, the physician decides whether there is an urgent need for general anesthesia or not. As a rule, extensive anesthesia is never prescribed unnecessarily. Especially for children.

To perform general anesthesia, the doctor must obtain parental permission without fail. But before you refuse him this, think about it. Many operations for the younger generation are performed under general anesthesia. This is necessary in order to avoid psycho-emotional consequences.

The main purpose of anesthesia is to relieve the child of the need to be present at his own operation.

Local anesthesia will allow the baby to see blood, open wounds and much more unsightly. How this will affect the fragile psyche is difficult to predict.

Consequences of general anesthesia for children

General anesthesia sometimes entails unpleasant consequences for children. The attending physician will definitely warn about them even before the operation. Based on this information, mom and dad will decide if extensive anesthesia is needed.

How does general anesthesia affect a child? In what it can be shown after an operative measure?

• Headache,
• dizziness,
• panic attacks,
• memory loss,
• convulsions,
• heart failure,
• kidney problems and liver problems.

All of these consequences sometimes do not have a place at all in the life of a small patient. Some people experience a brief headache after surgery. Some people experience calf cramps a few days after surgery. This does not mean that all of the listed states will “attack” the child without fail and all in a crowd, no. These are just the possible consequences of extensive anesthesia. They may not exist at all. That is why it is so important to trust your doctor. It is unlikely that a good specialist will advise the baby what is not necessary. And if there is a need, then it is certainly much more acute than all the consequences combined.

General anesthesia is a procedure by which the patient's autonomic reactions are suppressed, turning off his consciousness. Despite the fact that anesthesia has been used for a very long time, the need for its use, especially in children, causes a lot of fears and concerns among parents. What is the danger of general anesthesia for a child?

General anesthesia: is it necessary?

Many parents are sure that general anesthesia is very dangerous for their child, but they cannot say for sure what exactly. One of the main fears is that the child may not wake up after the operation.. Such cases are indeed recorded, but they occur extremely rarely. Most often, painkillers have nothing to do with them, and death occurs as a result of the surgical intervention itself.

Before performing anesthesia, the specialist receives written permission from the parents. However, before refusing to use it, you should think carefully, as some cases require the mandatory use of complex anesthesia.

Usually, general anesthesia is used if it is necessary to turn off the child’s consciousness, protect him from fear, pain and prevent the stress that the baby will experience while being present at his own operation, which can negatively affect his still fragile psyche.

Before using general anesthesia, contraindications are identified by a specialist, and a decision is made: is there really a need for it.

Drug-induced deep sleep allows doctors to perform lengthy and complex surgical interventions. Usually the procedure is used in pediatric surgery, when pain relief is vital., for example, with severe congenital heart defects and other abnormalities. However, anesthesia is not such a harmless procedure.

Preparation for the procedure

It is wiser to prepare the baby for the upcoming anesthesia in just 2-5 days. To do this, he is prescribed hypnotics and sedatives that affect metabolic processes.

About half an hour before anesthesia, the baby can be given atropine, pipolfen or promedol - drugs that enhance the effect of the main anesthetic drugs and help avoid their negative effects.

Before performing the manipulation, the baby is given an enema and the contents are removed from the bladder. 4 hours before the operation, the intake of food and water is completely excluded, since during the intervention vomiting may begin, in which vomit can enter the organs of the respiratory system and cause respiratory arrest. In some cases, gastric lavage is done.

The procedure is performed using a mask or a special tube that is placed in the trachea.. Together with oxygen, anesthetic medicine comes out of the device. In addition, anesthetics are administered intravenously to alleviate the condition of a small patient.

How does anesthesia affect a child?

Currently the probability of severe consequences for the child's body from anesthesia is 1-2%. However, many parents are sure that anesthesia will adversely affect their baby.

Due to the peculiarities of the growing organism, this type of anesthesia in children proceeds somewhat differently. Most often, clinically proven drugs of a new generation are used for anesthesia, which are allowed in pediatric practice. Such drugs have a minimum of side effects and are quickly removed from the body. That is why the effect of anesthesia on the child, as well as any negative consequences, are minimized.

Thus, it is possible to predict the duration of exposure to the used dose of the drug, and, if necessary, repeat anesthesia.

In the overwhelming majority of cases, anesthesia facilitates the patient's condition and can help the surgeon's work.

The introduction of nitric oxide, the so-called "laughing gas", into the body leads to the fact that children who have undergone surgery under general anesthesia most often do not remember anything.

Diagnosis of complications

Even if a small patient is well prepared before the operation, this does not guarantee the absence of complications associated with anesthesia. That is why specialists should be aware of all possible negative effects of drugs, common dangerous consequences, probable causes, as well as ways to prevent and eliminate them.

Adequate and timely detection of complications that have arisen after the use of anesthesia plays a huge role. During the operation, as well as after it, the anesthesiologist must carefully monitor the condition of the baby.

To do this, the specialist takes into account all the manipulations performed, and also enters the results of the analyzes into a special card.

The map should include:

• heart rate indicators;
• breathing rate;
• temperature readings;
• the amount of blood transfused and other indicators.

These data are strictly painted by the hour. Such measures will allow any violations to be detected in time and quickly eliminate them..

Early consequences

The effect of general anesthesia on the child's body depends on the individual characteristics of the patient. Most often, the complications that arise after the return of the baby to consciousness are not much different from the reaction to anesthesia in adults.

The most commonly observed negative effects are:

• the appearance of allergies, anaphylaxis, Quincke's edema;
• disorder of the heart, arrhythmia, incomplete blockade of the bundle of His;
• increased weakness, drowsiness. Most often, such conditions disappear on their own, after 1-2 hours;
• increase in body temperature. It is considered normal, however, if the mark reaches 38 ° C, there is a possibility of infectious complications. Having identified the cause of this condition, the doctor prescribes antibiotics;
• nausea and vomiting. These symptoms are treated with antiemetics such as Cerucal;
• headaches, feeling of heaviness and squeezing in the temples. Usually they do not require special treatment, however, with prolonged pain symptoms, the specialist prescribes painkillers;
• pain in the postoperative wound. A common consequence after surgery. To eliminate it, antispasmodics or analgesics can be used;
• fluctuations in blood pressure. Usually observed as a result of a large blood loss or after a blood transfusion;
• falling into a coma.

Any drug used for local or general anesthesia can be toxic to the patient's liver tissues and lead to liver dysfunction.

Side effects of drugs used for anesthesia depend on the specific drug. Knowing about all the negative effects of the drug, you can avoid many dangerous consequences, one of which is liver damage:

• Ketamine, often used in anesthesia, can provoke psychomotor overexcitation, seizures, hallucinations.
• Sodium oxybutyrate. May cause convulsions when used in high doses;
• Succinylcholine and drugs based on it often provoke bradycardia, which threatens to stop the activity of the heart - asystole;
• Muscle relaxants used for general pain relief can lower blood pressure.

Fortunately, serious consequences are extremely rare.

Late Complications

Even if the surgical intervention went without complications, there were no reactions to the means used, this does not mean that there was no negative impact on the children's body. Late complications may appear after some time, even after several years..

Dangerous long-term effects include:

• cognitive impairment: memory disorder, difficulty in logical thinking, difficulty concentrating on objects. In these cases, it is difficult for the child to study at school, he is often distracted, cannot read books for a long time;
• attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. These disorders are expressed by excessive impulsivity, a tendency to frequent injuries, restlessness;
• susceptibility to headaches, migraine attacks, which are difficult to drown out with painkillers;
• frequent dizziness;
• the appearance of convulsive contractions in the muscles of the legs;
• slowly progressive pathologies of the liver and kidneys.

The safety and comfort of the surgical intervention, as well as the absence of any dangerous consequences, often depend on the professionalism of the anesthetist and surgeon.

Consequences for babies 1-3 years old

Due to the fact that the central nervous system in young children is not fully formed, the use of general anesthesia can adversely affect their development and general condition. In addition to Attention Deficit Disorder, Pain Relief Can Cause Brain Disorder, and lead to the following complications:

• Slow physical development. Medicines used in anesthesia can disrupt the formation of the parathyroid gland, which is responsible for the growth of the baby. In these cases, he may lag behind in growth, but subsequently is able to catch up with his peers.
• Disturbance of psychomotor development. Such children learn to read late, it is difficult to remember numbers, they pronounce words incorrectly, and build sentences.
• epileptic seizures. These violations are quite rare, however, there have been several cases of epilepsy after surgical interventions using general anesthesia.

Is it possible to prevent complications

It is impossible to say for sure whether there will be any consequences after the operation in babies, as well as at what time and how they can manifest themselves. However, you can reduce the likelihood of negative reactions in the following ways:

• Before the operation, the child's body must be fully examined by passing all the tests prescribed by the doctor.
• After surgery, you should use drugs that improve cerebral circulation, as well as vitamin and mineral complexes prescribed by a neuropathologist. Most often, B vitamins, piracetam, cavinton are used.
• Carefully monitor the condition of the baby. After the operation, parents need to monitor its development even after some time. If any deviations appear, it is worth visiting a specialist once again to eliminate possible risks.

Having decided on the procedure, the specialist compares the need to perform it with the possible harm. Even after learning about the likely complications, you should not refuse surgical procedures: not only health, but also the life of the child may depend on this. The most important thing is to be attentive to his health and not self-medicate.

My daughter has an inguinal hernia. We were diagnosed almost from birth, but the hernia did not bother us at all. Now the child is 2.6 years old, and the doctor is already insisting on surgery. General anesthesia worries me a lot. I'm worried about how my daughter will handle it. Tell me... I'm very worried... What are the consequences of anesthesia for a child at that age? I read that general anesthesia affects the child's intelligence, brain function (especially in young children under 4 years old) and negative consequences may remain. Maybe it's worth waiting for the operation?

• Irina, Moscow
• January 16, 2018, 11:18

Currently, general anesthesia is not associated with a great risk if the treatment is carried out in a specialized institution equipped with the necessary equipment and in the presence of an anesthesiologist-resuscitator. Of course, the tolerability of anesthesia depends on the individual characteristics of the child and his somatic status. But I can’t say that general anesthesia increases the risk of developing intellectual problems, affects the functioning of the brain, as well as the fact that the child’s reaction to anesthesia will change after 4 years, I cannot. Modern drugs for anesthesia have low toxicity, are hypoallergenic, are quickly excreted from the body, and allow anesthesia to be performed with minimal consequences.

If you choose the right drug and its dosage, taking into account the upcoming surgical intervention, the current state of health of the baby and other important factors, the risks of negative consequences are practically excluded.

In our clinic, in addition to the traditional clinical assessment of the depth and adequacy of anesthesia, we use hardware control of the depth of anesthesia using BIS-monitoring. This system measures the functional activity of the patient's brain (by EEG), allowing the anesthetist to more accurately manage anesthesia. Focusing on monitoring indicators, we are able to use anesthetics more rationally (as a rule, in the direction of dose reduction), prevent excessive dosage of the drug and achieve a smoother recovery of the patient from anesthesia. The method is harmless, has no contraindications, and can be performed on children of any age (including newborns).

BIS monitoring is widely used in the USA, Western Europe and is already included in the standard of mandatory intraoperative monitoring in a number of foreign countries. In Russia, unfortunately, only a few medical institutions have this equipment.

Currently, when performing surgical operations and complex diagnostic studies, anesthesia is indispensable. Anesthesia allows you to perform medical procedures with maximum comfort for the doctor and patient. With general anesthesia, a person’s consciousness is briefly turned off, which allows the doctor to calmly carry out the necessary medical actions. A morally adult person can independently prepare himself for the upcoming surgical events. Another thing is if the operation is for a small child. Therefore, such a phrase as anesthesia for children often shocks parents.

Local and general anesthesia

Anesthesia can be general and local. With local anesthesia, pain impulses are blocked in a specific area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe child's body, which is chipped with special preparations. During treatment, the child does not feel pain, while being fully conscious. On the one hand, this type of anesthesia has an important advantage, since local anesthesia preparations do not affect the functioning of the brain. But on the other hand, there are significant drawbacks. First, local anesthesia is not always able to provide the desired effect of anesthesia. Secondly, the very preparation for the treatment procedure is the strongest stress for the child. The sight of people in special clothes and masks, laid out medical instruments cause fear in most children. Therefore, most often, doctors during surgical procedures use combined anesthesia for children, that is, they simultaneously perform general and local anesthesia.

When using general anesthesia, the child is unconscious, but for a limited time period. Medications introduced into his body ensure the complete absence of pain syndrome, followed by a gradual restoration of the normal state and consciousness of the child. General anesthesia can be carried out in different ways. There are inhalation, intramuscular and intravenous anesthesia. The choice of the method of general anesthesia is influenced by the volume of the upcoming operation, the recommendations of the surgeon and the qualifications of the anesthetist.

"Big" and "small" anesthesia

Depending on the combination of drugs administered and the amount of time required for pain relief, general anesthesia is conventionally divided by physicians into “large” and “small”. When it is necessary to turn off the child's consciousness for a short time, apply "small" anesthesia. It is used for short operations and low-traumatic diagnostic studies. "Small" anesthesia can be administered by inhalation or intramuscular method.

The inhalation method of anesthesia is commonly referred to by surgeons as apparatus-mask anesthesia. When it is used, the child inhales the inhalation mixture, after which his consciousness turns off. The most well-known inhalation anesthetics are Sevoflurane, Isoflurane, Ftorotan.

Another method of introducing "small" anesthesia, intramuscular anesthesia, is currently not used. According to the latest data, this type of anesthesia is not harmless to the child's body. With intramuscular anesthesia, the drug Ketamine is usually used, which is able to “turn off” memory for a long time, creating problems for the full development of the child.

In complex long-term operations, surgeons use "large" anesthesia for children, which is considered the most effective method of pain relief. Drugs are introduced into the child's body by inhalation or intravenously. "Great anesthesia" is a multicomponent effect of various pharmacological agents. General anesthesia may involve local anesthetics, sleeping pills, infusion solutions, muscle relaxants, analgesics, and even blood products. As a rule, during the surgical intervention, the child is given artificial ventilation of the lungs.

Of course, the correct emotional state of the child before the upcoming operation is of great importance. Parents are allowed to accompany the child to the operating room, to be nearby until he falls asleep. Upon awakening, the first thing the baby should see is the native face of loved ones.

Parents should not be afraid of using general anesthesia for children. Modern drugs used in anesthesiology allow for safe anesthesia even for newborn babies. And the main thing for any parent is to cure the child!

Why is general anesthesia dangerous for a child? Yes, in some cases it is necessary. Often - to save the life of a child.

But there are also negative aspects of the action of anesthesia. That is, it is like a coin that has two sides, like a double-edged sword.

Naturally, before the upcoming operation for the child, parents are trying to find out how dangerous this intervention is, what exactly is the danger of general anesthesia for the child.

Sometimes general anesthesia scares people even more than surgery. In many ways, this anxiety is fueled by numerous conversations around.

Surgeons who prepare the patient for surgery say little about anesthesia. And the main specialist in this matter - the anesthesiologist - advises and explains everything only shortly before the operation.

People are looking for information online. And here she is, to put it mildly, different. Who to believe?

Today we will talk about the types of anesthesia in pediatric medical practice, about the indications and contraindications for it, about the possible consequences. And, of course, we will dispel the myths in this topic.

Many medical manipulations are very painful, so even an adult cannot bear them without anesthesia. What is there to say about the child?

Yes, exposing a child to even a simple procedure without anesthesia is a huge stress for a small organism. This can cause neurotic disorders (tics, stuttering, sleep disturbances). It is also a lifelong fear of people in white coats.

That is why, in order to avoid discomfort and reduce stress from medical procedures, painkillers are used in surgery.

Actually anesthesia is called general anesthesia. This is an artificially created, controlled state in which there is no consciousness and no reaction to pain. At the same time, the vital functions of the body (respiration, heart function) are preserved.

Modern anesthesiology has advanced significantly over the past 20 years. Thanks to her, today it is possible to use new drugs and their combinations to suppress involuntary reflex reactions of the body and reduce muscle tone if necessary.

According to the method of conducting general anesthesia in children, it is inhalation, intravenous and intramuscular.

In pediatric practice, inhalation (hardware-mask) anesthesia is more often used. With hardware-mask anesthesia, the child receives a dose of painkillers in the form of an inhalation mixture.

This type of anesthesia is used during short, simple operations, as well as in some types of research, when a short-term shutdown of the child's consciousness is required.

Painkillers used for mask anesthesia are called inhalation anesthetics (Ftorotan, Isoflurane, Sevoflurane).

Intramuscular anesthesia for children is practically not used today, since with such anesthesia it is difficult for the anesthetist to control the duration and depth of sleep.

It has also been established that such a commonly used drug for intramuscular anesthesia, like Ketamine, is unsafe for the child's body. Therefore, intramuscular anesthesia is leaving pediatric medical practice.

For long and difficult operations, intravenous anesthesia is used or combined with inhalation anesthesia. This allows you to achieve a multicomponent pharmacological effect on the body.

Intravenous anesthesia includes the use of various medications. It uses narcotic analgesics (not drugs!), muscle relaxants that relax skeletal muscles, sleeping pills, various infusion solutions.

During the operation, the patient is given artificial lung ventilation (ALV) with a special device.

Only the anesthesiologist makes the final decision on the need for this or that type of anesthesia for a particular child.

It all depends on the condition of a small patient, on the type and duration of the operation, on the presence of concomitant pathology, on the qualifications of the doctor himself.

To do this, before the operation, the anesthetist must tell the parents as much information as possible about the characteristics of the growth and development of the child.

In particular, the physician should learn from parents and/or medical records:

• How was the pregnancy and childbirth?
• what was the type of feeding: natural (up to what age) or artificial;
• what illnesses the child had;
• whether there were cases of allergies in the child himself or in the next of kin and to what exactly;
• what is the vaccination status of the child and whether any negative reactions of the body during vaccination were previously identified.

Contraindications

There are no absolute contraindications to general anesthesia.

Relative contraindications may include:

The presence of concomitant pathology, which can adversely affect the condition during anesthesia or recovery after it. For example, anomalies of the constitution, accompanied by hypertrophy of the thymus gland.

A disease accompanied by difficulty in nasal breathing. For example, due to the curvature of the nasal septum, proliferation of adenoids, chronic rhinitis (for inhalation anesthesia).

Having an allergy to medications. Sometimes before the operation, the child is given allergy tests. As a result of such tests (skin tests or test tube tests), the doctor will have an idea of ​​which drugs the body takes and which gives an allergic reaction.

Based on this, the doctor will decide in favor of using one or another drug for anesthesia.

If the child had an acute respiratory viral infection or another infection with fever the day before, then the operation is postponed until the body is fully restored (the interval between the disease and treatment under anesthesia should be at least 2 weeks).

If the child ate before the operation. Children with a full stomach are not allowed for surgery, as there is a high risk of aspiration (gastric contents entering the lungs).

If the operation cannot be delayed, then the gastric contents can be evacuated using a gastric tube.

Before the operation or the actual hospitalization, parents should conduct a psychological preparation of the child.

Hospitalization itself for a baby, even without surgery, is a difficult test. The child is frightened by separation from parents, alien environment, regime change, people in white coats.

Of course, not in all cases the child needs to talk about the upcoming anesthesia.

If the disease interferes with the child and brings him suffering, then it is necessary to explain to the baby that the operation will save him from the disease. You can explain to the child that with the help of a special children's anesthesia, he will fall asleep and wake up when everything has already been done.

Parents should always communicate that they will be with the child before and after the operation. Therefore, the baby should wake up after anesthesia and see the dearest and closest people to him.

If the child is old enough, you can explain to him what awaits him in the near future (blood test, blood pressure measurement, electrocardiogram, cleansing enema, etc.). So the child will not be afraid of various procedures due to the fact that he did not know about them.

The hardest thing for parents and young children is given to keep a hungry pause. I have already spoken about the risk of aspiration above.

6 hours before anesthesia, the child cannot be fed, and 4 hours before, you can not even drink water.

A breastfed baby can be applied to the breast 4 hours before the upcoming operation.

A child who is receiving formula milk should not be fed 6 hours before anesthesia.

Before the operation, the intestines of a small patient are cleaned with an enema so that during the operation there is no involuntary stool discharge. This is very important for abdominal operations (on the abdominal organs).

In children's clinics, doctors have many devices in their arsenal to divert the attention of children from upcoming procedures. These are breathing bags (masks) with images of various animals, and flavored face masks, for example, with the smell of strawberries.

There are also special children's ECG devices, in which the electrodes are decorated with the image of the muzzles of different animals.

All this helps to distract and interest the child, conduct an examination in the form of a game, and even give the child the right to choose, for example, a mask for himself.

The consequences of anesthesia for the child's body

In fact, much depends on the professionalism of the anesthesiologist. After all, it is he who selects the method of introduction into anesthesia, the necessary drug and its dosage.

In children's practice, preference is given to proven drugs with good tolerance, that is, with minimal side effects, and which are quickly excreted from the child's body.

There is always a risk of intolerance to drugs or their components, especially in children prone to allergies.

It is possible to predict this situation only if the close relatives of the child had a similar reaction. Therefore, this information is always clarified before the operation.

Below I will give the consequences of anesthesia, which can occur not only due to intolerance to medicines.

• Anaphylactic shock (immediate type allergic reaction).
• Malignant hyperemia (temperature rise above 40 degrees).
• Cardiovascular or respiratory failure.
• Aspiration (reflux of stomach contents into the respiratory tract).
• Mechanical trauma is not excluded during catheterization of the veins or bladder, tracheal intubation, the introduction of a probe into the stomach.

The probability of such consequences exists, although it is extremely small (1-2%).

Recently, information has appeared that anesthesia can damage the neurons of the child's brain and affect the pace of development of the baby.

In particular, it is assumed that anesthesia disrupts the processes of memorizing new information. It is difficult for a child to concentrate and learn new material.

This pattern was suggested after the use of injectable drugs such as Ketamine for intramuscular anesthesia, which is practically not used in pediatric practice today. But the validity of such conclusions is still not fully proven.

Moreover, if there are such changes, they are not lifelong. Usually, cognitive abilities are restored within a few days after anesthesia.

Children after anesthesia recover much faster than adults, since metabolic processes are faster and the adaptive capabilities of a young organism are higher than in adulthood.

And here much depends not only on the professionalism of the anesthesiologist, but also on the individual characteristics of the child's body.

Young children, that is, up to two years, are at greater risk. In children at this age, the nervous system actively matures, and new neural connections are formed in the brain.

Therefore, operations under anesthesia, if possible, are postponed for a period after 2 years.

Myths about anesthesia

“What if the child does not wake up after the operation?”

World statistics say that this is extremely rare (1 out of 100,000 operations). Moreover, more often such an outcome of the operation is associated not with a reaction to anesthesia, but with the risks of the surgical intervention itself.

It is in order to minimize such risks that the patient undergoes a thorough examination during elective operations. If any disorders or diseases are detected, the operation is postponed until the complete recovery of the small patient.

“What if the child feels everything?”

Firstly, no one calculates the dosage of anesthetics for anesthesia "by eye". Everything is calculated based on the individual parameters of a small patient (weight, height).

Secondly, during the operation, the child's condition is constantly monitored.

The pulse, respiratory rate, blood pressure and body temperature of the patient, the level of oxygen / carbon dioxide in the blood (saturation) are tracked.

In modern clinics with good operating equipment, even the depth of anesthesia, the degree of relaxation of the patient's skeletal muscles, can be monitored. This allows you to accurately track the minimum deviations in the child's condition during the operation.

“Mask anesthesia is an outdated technique. A safer form of anesthesia intravenous "

Most operations (more than 50%) in pediatric practice are performed using inhalation (hardware-mask) anesthesia.

This type of anesthesia eliminates the need for the use of potent drugs and their complex combinations, unlike intravenous anesthesia.

At the same time, inhalation anesthesia gives the anesthesiologist more room for maneuver and allows better management and control of the depth of anesthesia.

In any case, regardless of the reasons for which the operation with anesthesia is indicated for the child, anesthesia is a necessity.

This is a savior, an assistant who will allow you to get rid of the disease in a painless way.

Indeed, even with minimal intervention under local anesthesia, when the child sees everything, but does not feel, the psyche of not every child can withstand this “spectacle”.

Anesthesia allows the treatment of non-contact and low-contact children. Provides comfortable conditions for the patient and the doctor, reduces the time of treatment and improves its quality.

Moreover, not in all cases we have the opportunity to wait, even if the child is small.

In this case, doctors try to explain to parents that leaving the child’s illness without surgical treatment can provoke greater consequences than the likelihood of developing temporary consequences of general anesthesia.

What is the danger of general anesthesia for a child, you were told by a practicing pediatrician and twice mother Elena Borisova-Tsarenok.

The use of general anesthesia is accompanied by side reactions - impaired breathing, blood circulation, and the functioning of the nervous system. Anesthesia during caesarean section can also cause long-term consequences - attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in a child. Prevention requires a complete examination (with planned intervention), taking into account possible risk factors. Read more about them in this article.

Read in this article

What is anesthesia and its consequences

Anesthesia is a human condition in which there is a loss of consciousness, created artificially. Introduction to narcotic sleep is a necessity during any surgical operations, this allows you to avoid pain shock, which causes negative changes in the body, up to cardiac arrest. In medicine, three types of anesthesia are used:

• intramuscular injection;
• intravenous injection;
• inhalation.

The choice of type is carried out on an individual basis and depends on the volume of surgical intervention, the general health of the patient, his age and other factors.

The consequences of anesthesia can be very different - from short-term to permanent violations. The first ones include:

• partial/complete memory impairment - it is restored literally in 3-5 days;
• sleep disturbance - insomnia or, conversely, a constant desire to sleep, normalizes in a week;
• severe headaches, problems with vision (decrease in its sharpness) and hearing - the condition stabilizes for 5-10 days.

Often appear:

• muscle pain;
• nausea, which may be accompanied by vomiting;
• dizziness;
• speech problems, general lethargy;
• back pain.

Back pain may occur after epidural anesthesia

Complications after anesthesia of a more severe nature:

• violations of the respiratory system;
• problems in the functionality of the heart and vascular system;
• acute renal, adrenal insufficiency;
• problems in the process of thermoregulation of the body.

The consequences of anesthesia, which are recorded extremely rarely, but have a place to be:

• Injury of tongues, lips and teeth - diagnosed in 1 case per 45,000 use of anesthesia. Such a “side effect” is associated with damage to the oral cavity with a breathing tube. It is recommended to visit the dentist before the surgical intervention and carry out sanitation.
• Postoperative pulmonary infection - more often diagnosed after surgery on the chest organs and in patients who smoke. According to statistics, it is successfully treated, but lengthens the recovery period.
• Eye damage - more often the cornea suffers, does not lead to loss of vision, but causes a dark spot before the eyes. The reason for this complication is the incomplete closure of the eyelids during anesthesia: the eyeball dries up and is injured by the inner side of the eyelid.

What does general anesthesia affect?

Here's what and how general anesthesia affects:

• Nervous system (central)- it is important to "turn off" the main center of perception of pain sensitivity. If inhaled drugs are used, then vasodilation and a decrease in oxygen consumption occur. Intravenous drugs directly affect blood circulation - they reduce its speed by almost 2 times.
• Respiratory system- in the process, the nature and quality of breathing changes: the respiratory muscles work slowly, the depth and rhythm of inhalations / exhalations change, the level of serotonin decreases. If anesthesia is applied simultaneously with ventilation of the lungs, there is a distribution of blood flow in the vessels of the respiratory system.
• The cardiovascular system- depression occurs when any drugs are used, the myocardium begins to work at a slow pace. Simultaneously with the negative effect on the heart, the sympathetic-adrenal system is stimulated, which ensures a quick recovery of the heart and blood vessels after the end of the surgical intervention.

Common effects of anesthesia on the body

Often, patients experience nausea after general anesthesia, which can be aggravated by a sudden change in body position, food or water intake. Its elimination sometimes requires the introduction of antiemetics (Cerukal, Etaperazin, Tavegil), in most cases it passes on its own within 1 to 2 days. Calm deep breathing is recommended with a slow inhalation to relieve discomfort.

Dryness, a feeling of soreness or burning in the throat may occur immediately after waking up, some patients experience quite severe pain in the throat when swallowing or talking, hoarseness of the voice. This consequence of anesthesia is not dangerous, with intense soreness, softening warm chamomile tea with a small addition of honey, rose petal jam is prescribed. Of the medicines, Strepsils Intensive is indicated.

Tongue - language; epiglottis - epiglottis; balloon - balloon; trachea - trachea; endotracheal tube - endotracheal tube; palate - sky.

Hand tremors or severe chills are not always associated with the administration of painkillers or infusion solutions. They can also be explained by a sharp activation of sympathetic impulses in response to stress, which is an operation. Warming with a warm blanket will help reduce trembling in the body, maintaining a comfortable air temperature in the ward. If there is no fever, then drug therapy is not applied.

Changes in blood pressure, pulse rate and respiration are a natural response to the suppression of the activity of the vasomotor and respiratory centers of the brain. After a period of braking, they may become unstable for a while. Therefore, all patients are shown to monitor hemodynamic parameters, control the rhythm and depth of breathing in the postoperative period.

At the same time, the likelihood of various cardiac arrhythmias increases - extrasystole, tachycardia and bradycardia. The most dangerous are:

• group extrasystoles;
• complete blockade of atrioventricular conduction;
• attacks of ventricular tachycardia, which can turn into ventricular fibrillation and asystole.

They are more common in older people with concomitant disorders of myocardial excitability and conduction, cardiomyopathy, coronary heart disease. For treatment, antiarrhythmic drugs are prescribed, constant monitoring of the ECG is necessary.

Effects of anesthesia on the brain

The most common neurological complications include:

• headache;
• dizziness;
• collaptoid (fainting) state;
• weakness;
• violation of the rhythm of "sleep-wakefulness";
• difficulty in coordinating movements (unsteadiness of gait, awkwardness with purposeful actions).

They are associated with dehydration, blood loss, impaired vascular tone, and the inhibitory effect of drugs for anesthesia on the brain. As a rule, such signs disappear within 2-4 days.

A more significant impairment is postoperative cognitive dysfunction. It can manifest itself both in the first days and 2-3 months after general anesthesia. Patients complain that it is difficult to find the right word, remember information, fatigue quickly occurs during mental stress, and it is difficult to concentrate.

Memory and learning can decrease by 10-20%. Over time, the symptoms may improve, but in some patients without medical therapy, they get worse.

The causes of this complication may be cerebral ischemia due to a decrease in blood pressure during the surgical intervention, disruption of the interaction of neurons under the influence of drugs and their partial destruction. It is possible that the stimulation of the immune response and the inflammatory process during a long or extensive operation, as well as insufficient pain relief, damage brain cells.

Insufficient nutrition of the brain at the cellular level, which is not quickly corrected, can provoke hallucinations, problems with attention and memory.

If the brain was injured before the use of general anesthesia, then it is impossible to predict the consequences of the influence of drugs.

For treatment appoint:

• neuroprotectors - Mexidol, Nimotop;
• nootropics - Glycine, Ceraxon;
• metabolic stimulants - Cerebrolysin, Somazina;
• antioxidants - Emoxipin, Bilobil.

To prevent memory impairment, it is necessary to minimize factors that damage brain tissue - smoking, drinking alcohol, eating fatty foods of animal origin, low or high blood pressure, increased blood sugar and cholesterol. You can train memorization by solving crossword puzzles, reading, listening to audio books, playing chess.

What rarely causes anesthesia

Less common effects of general anesthesia are:

• increased secretion of bronchial mucus, spasm of the bronchi and larynx, impaired ventilation of the lungs, depression or increased respiration, up to its termination, pneumonia, respiratory failure, shortness of breath, cough;

Pneumonia postoperative

• increased salivation, transient jaundice, increased activity of liver tests, decreased motility (motor function) of the stomach and intestines;
• psychomotor agitation, convulsive syndrome, drowsiness, depressive reactions, psychosis, disorientation;
• violation of acid-base balance and electrolyte balance, a decrease in the content of proteins in the blood due to their excretion by the kidneys, fluctuations in blood sugar levels, leukocytosis, hemolysis of red blood cells;
• sweating, fever;
• allergic reactions - bronchospasm, urticaria, itching, anaphylactic shock, angioedema, chills;
• kidney failure;
• change of consciousness - stupor, delirium, hallucinations;
• decrease in myocardial contractility, cardiac decompensation.

For information on how general anesthesia affects the patient's health, see this video:

Negative consequences for women

There is a special situation when it is necessary to apply anesthesia in women - this is a caesarean section. There are several methods of general anesthesia, each of which has certain advantages and disadvantages.

The inhalation method is convenient when urgent delivery is necessary for health reasons, the depth of anesthesia is easy to adjust. Inhalation of the gas mixture is usually well tolerated - rarely there are circulatory disorders in the mother and fetus. Negative features include:

• the risk of vomiting and blockage of the respiratory tract by vomit in a woman in labor;
• the appearance of inflammation of the bronchi and lung tissue (more often in the presence of ether in the mixture);
• the child's breathing may be weakened.

Intravenous anesthesia can damage the neurons of the fetal brain, cause instability in pressure and pulse rate, and fluctuations in respiratory activity. Therefore, most often it is replaced with spinal or epidural anesthesia. They are also not completely safe, as they provoke hypotension in the mother and oxygen starvation in the fetus.

Hypoxia in a child can manifest itself only by 2-3 years in the form of attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity, speech development disorders, and muscle reflexes.

Anesthesia during childbirth is used according to strict indications in situations where the pain syndrome can cause a state of shock. Insisting on anesthesia due to psychological unpreparedness for childbirth means endangering not only your health, but also the nervous system of the unborn child. The choice of means and methods of anesthesia should be carried out by a specialist, taking into account all risk factors.

General anesthesia: consequences for men

In medicine, it is not customary to share the unpleasant consequences after general anesthesia by the patient's gender, but scientists have proven that for men it can cause problems in their sexual life. It is not sexual desire that decreases, but potency - erectile dysfunction is diagnosed. Especially often this happens in men of the older age group, when there are already signs of a natural decrease in sexual activity.

After general anesthesia, problems in the endocrine system can also be noted - the production of male hormones decreases. True, this is considered an exception and can be recorded with frequent surgical interventions or against the background of existing endocrine diseases.

The effect of anesthesia on the human body: consequences

The consequences for the human body after anesthesia are directly related to the action of drugs:

• Nausea- most often noted immediately after leaving the narcotic sleep, it is short-lived, does not require the use of drugs. It may be accompanied by vomiting, but only if the preparation for the operation was carried out with violations (for example, the patient ate food immediately before the manipulations).
• Pain in the throat when swallowing and talking - can be intermittent or constant, persist from 2 hours to several days. It is accompanied by severe dryness in the oral cavity and a strong feeling of thirst.
• Shaking of the whole body or tremor of the limbs- lasts no more than 30 minutes, is associated with impaired conduction of nerve impulses. The problem is solved with warm clothes, a blanket - the patient needs to warm up corny.

• General weakness, dizziness, faintness- associated with a decrease in blood pressure after recovery from anesthesia. If such a pathological condition persists for 2 days after the operation, then you should seek help from your doctor - perhaps there is a dehydration factor.
• Itchy skin- present throughout the body, can be strong and uncontrollable. This is how the body reacts to anesthetic drugs, but it can also be a manifestation of a powerful allergy. In order to avoid the development of serious complications in the form of anaphylactic shock, Quincke's edema, you need to report the problem to the doctor - you will need to undergo a short course of therapy with antihistamines.
• Pain in the back, muscles- a consequence of an uncomfortable posture during the operation, they are symmetrical, they can disturb 2-3 days of the recovery period. Most often, such consequences are observed when using the Ditilin anesthetic, which is suitable for emergency surgery without first cleaning the stomach from food.

Watch this video about the dangers of anesthesia:

Anesthesia overdose: consequences in adults

Modern medicine virtually eliminates the risk of an overdose of anesthesia, but if this happens, then the consequences in adults may be as follows:

• Too much drug sleep- the patient begins to regain consciousness only 6-12 hours after surgery. He can be forcibly awakened, but the loss of consciousness will continue until the increased dose of anesthetic stops working.
• Headache- this is how most drugs for anesthesia act on the central nervous system. If, after conventional anesthesia, the pain syndrome disappears after a few hours, then with an overdose, it may persist for several days.
• Respiratory depression- a temporary phenomenon that can provoke postoperative pneumonia.

Cases when an overdose of anesthesia led to the death of a patient have not been recorded for the last 50 years.

Consequences of frequent anesthesia

There is a myth that says - the more anesthesia was given to the patient (frequent operations), the more difficult it will be for him to get out of this state, even clinical death or complete loss of memory, reason is possible.

Actually this is not
happens:

• drugs act on the body in the same way with each introduction;
• between surgical interventions, a recovery period is observed - the consequences of general anesthesia are already disappearing, the systems are ready for a new “strike”;
• there are patients who are often given anesthesia for medical reasons (for example, multiple operations for extensive burns) - the statistics are silent about the fact that this led to some serious consequences.

The only thing that doctors and scientists warn about is that a disorder of the nervous system and the presence of constant back pain are possible. This is manifested by headaches of unknown origin, unmotivated jumps in blood pressure, aching in the lower back after the usual physical exertion.

Is there a harmless drug?

With a good preoperative examination, the anesthesiologist has the opportunity to choose the best option for anesthesia, taking into account concomitant diseases, the duration of the operation, indications and contraindications for specific drugs. As a result, the risks of side effects can be minimized, and the patient receives anesthesia, which causes fewer complications after waking up.

Since any drug for anesthesia suppresses the functions of the brain, there can be no absolutely safe method. To introduce a patient into a state of artificial sleep, a drug is needed that could reduce the activity of the nervous and cardiovascular systems for a sufficiently long time to enable the operation to be performed. Therefore, some possible consequences for the body are regarded as a kind of "payment" for getting rid of the disease.

When choosing medicines for women who are indicated for caesarean section, preference is given not to intravenous administration, but to new inhalation anesthetics - isoflurane and sevoflurane. They are significantly superior in safety to the previous ones (for example, Ftorotan). Women in labor wake up within 15-20 minutes, and the anesthetic depression in the newborn also disappears in the first minutes after childbirth.

Should I be afraid of anesthesia

The operation cannot be performed without pain relief. At the same time, it is important that the patient not only does not feel pain, but also does not remember what happened to him during the treatment period (amnesia). For this, the surgeon and anesthetist choose the method of anesthesia. At the same time, they are guided by age characteristics, the presence of concomitant pathology and the volume and duration of surgical intervention.

In most patients who underwent preoperative preparation, anesthesia does not cause significant deviations in the subsequent work of the heart, brain, lungs, liver and kidneys.

For anesthesia, modern drugs are used that have side reactions, but they can be prevented or eliminated. It should also be borne in mind that any drug therapy has its own expiration date. Almost all complications with proper anesthesia can be removed after the drug is removed from the body.

Therefore, you need to choose a doctor and a medical institution that you can trust, and leave all other actions (including anesthesia) to the discretion of specialists.

How to minimize risks

When preparing for a planned operation, a full range of diagnostic studies is recommended. ECG, chest X-ray, abdominal ultrasound are prescribed. For a laboratory examination, it is important to undergo general blood and urine tests, a coagulogram, kidney and liver tests, a study of the concentration of glucose and blood cholesterol.

If it is possible to compare several medical institutions, then preference should be given to those where there is a modern technical base, as well as a narrower specialization of doctors in the profile that is needed.

Patients need to exclude smoking, alcohol for 10-15 days, and from the diet - any fatty, spicy foods, pickled and canned foods, the diet should consist of lean meats, fish, vegetables and whole grains. They are prepared with a minimum of salt, spices, oil and cooking oil.

It is also useful to drink freshly squeezed juices from vegetables, fruits, herbs. Such a diet improves the condition of the mucous membranes of the digestive tract and the functioning of the liver and kidneys. The excretion of drugs for anesthesia depends on their function.

If the state of health allows, then walking for at least 40 minutes is recommended every day, light gymnastic complexes, adherence to the regime, 8-hour night sleep is especially important. To improve falling asleep, you can drink soothing teas from valerian, lemon balm, mint, chamomile.

Any medication should be taken only after consulting the surgeon who will perform the operation. It is also necessary to discuss with him the tolerability of drugs, allergic reactions in the past.

General anesthesia can cause a negative impact on the state of the nervous system, blood circulation, bronchial and lung function. A fairly common condition is postanesthesia cognitive dysfunction. When a caesarean section is performed in children, there may be long-term consequences in the form of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

The choice of the method of anesthesia should be carried out by anesthesiologists and surgeons after a comprehensive examination. Before surgery, you need a special diet and lifestyle.

Useful video

About what complications occur after general anesthesia, see this video: