“Can too much anesthesia cause brain damage?”
I heard from my friend that too much anesthesia cause brain damage. Is that true?
3 Answers
Brain damage is caused by a lack of oxygen. A patient with excess anesthesia could present with delayed awakening. But in my opinion, if there is adequate oxygen supply, there's no possibility for brain damage.
That is a myth. However, it can indirectly cause damage if your blood pressure drops very low for a long time and is left untreated. Under normal circumstances, in a healthy patient, it doesn’t cause brain damage.
I’m not sure what your friend knows about anesthesia, but, he/she is correct, too much anesthesia may cause neuronal degeneration. Typically, though, those patients who get brain damage under anesthesia do so because there is a decrease in blood flow to the brain. Too much anesthesia may decrease blood flow to the brain. Also, patients who get brain damage often have metabolic/vascular abnormalities in their brains, resulting in brain damage, like those folks who have had a previous stroke or brain cancer. A board certified anesthesiologist knows how to administer just the right amount of anesthesia so patients don’t get brain damage.
