“What happens if you stop breathing during anesthesia?”
I am an 18 year old female. I want to know what happens if you stop breathing during anesthesia?
8 Answers
If it’s a general anesthesia then anesthesia machine is breathing for you.
If you are receiving general anesthesia you will stop breathing and will have some type of airway device placed in you throat or windpipe and your breathing controlled by the anesthesia provider. If you unexpectedly stop breathing, your airway will be maintained and artificial breathing and oxygen administered.
For obvious reasons, breathing is carefully monitored during sedation and anesthesia. We use three separate monitors alone to monitor breathing: end tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2), respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation (SpO2). Anesthesia doctors (MD/DO) and Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) and Anesthesia Assistants (AA) are all extensively trained in airway monitoring and management. If we detect that respirations are less than expected or that our patient is no longer breathing on their own, we are always at the ready to provide assistive breathing or advanced airways (such as endotracheal intubation) if necessary. However, it is not common to require more than assistive breathing during a procedure using sedation.
It's not unusual at all for patients to stop breathing when receiving an anesthetic. If this occurs, your anesthesiologist is trained to breathe for you using any number of techniques or methods
Neville
Neville
It depends on what type of anesthesia. During general anesthesia ("going to sleep"), patients have a breathing tube placed and are connected to a ventilator to breath for you. During other types of sedation, you should be able to breath on your own. If you happen to stop breathing during deep sedation, your breathing just may be assisted by the anesthesiologist temporarily, or medications to reverse your anesthesia can be given. There's a wide array of anesthetic options for most procedures. Talk to your anesthesiologist about your options.
If you stop breathing during anesthesia, the anesthesia provider will assist your breathing using a mask, endotracheal tube or other device.
Anesthesiologists are trained to be able to support your breathing during a procedure. If you stop breathing we are trained to diagnose why and treat appropriately.
Well, honestly nothing. The majority of surgical case are done under what is called general anesthesia. The patient is put under a deep "sleep" with medications and gases so they do not wake up or feel the surgery being performed. Patients typically stop breathing during this level of anesthesia and it is the job of the anesthesia team to control and support the patient's airway and breathing during the procedure. So we as anesthesiologist expect and anticipate the patient to stop breathing. So we got you covered!
