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April 4, 2003

Strange But True!

  • A weekly column of incidental information, off-the-wall observations and other random facts about the world.
    • By BILL SONES and RICH SONES, Ph.D.
    Special to the Journal

    Q. Is the story true of patients undergoing surgery but the anesthetic wears off and they wake up in time to feel the scalpel sinking in, but for some reason they can't cry out to halt the procedure?

    A. It's a half truth, common with certain medical reports these days, say University of Washington anesthesiologist Christopher Bernards and neuroscientist Eric H. Chudler on "The Neuroscientist Network." Awareness during surgery, though very rare, does occur. One reason is the patient may not tolerate the drug well, so the anesthesiologist keeps the amount down to avoid depressing the blood pressure to dangerous levels. Or the patient may have a history of alcoholism or abuse of Valium or sleeping pills, making the brain resistant to the sedative effect of the anesthetic.


     
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