“How long do the effects of general anesthesia last?”
My elderly mother will have a procedure under general anesthesia. How long do the effects of general anesthesia last?
5 Answers
Average people will take at least one hour to wake up completely, others 30 mins, but in the elderly, it could be different; they could be sleeping for more hours.
Many of the modern anesthetic agents, both inhalational and intravenous, have been selected for their short duration of action. I don't know the details of your mother's condition or type of surgery ... procedure, age, or general health, so this answer will be necessarily simplified. If she has pre-existing medical conditions, please let your anesthesia provider know. The anesthetic plan can be tailored to her specific needs and condition. Also, if the facility has access to the BiSpectral or BIS monitor, that can be used to adjust the dose of medication to her specific needs during surgery. Most patients undergoing a general anesthetic will be awake very quickly after surgery (usually 10-30 minutes) although they may be groggy for a period of time. Again, this depends on a lot of different factors (type of procedure, length of anesthesia, use of supplemental anesthetics) and how much post-operative medication they require. Use of pre-operative regional anesthetics or peripheral nerve blocks may also lessen general anesthetic requirements and allow other modifications in technique. We generally say not to drive or take a math test for 24 hours because some of the effects of general anesthesia affect the decision making portions of the brain longer than general wakefulness. Occasionally,
some patients may experience some cognitive impairment that lasts beyond this initial 8-24 hour period after surgery. This is pretty rare and may indicate some underlying cognitive impairment previously unrecognized. This is an area of concern for both anesthesiologists and patients (and their families). This impairment is almost always temporary and improves over time. It is an area of intense study, but the causes and mechanisms have not been fully worked out yet.
some patients may experience some cognitive impairment that lasts beyond this initial 8-24 hour period after surgery. This is pretty rare and may indicate some underlying cognitive impairment previously unrecognized. This is an area of concern for both anesthesiologists and patients (and their families). This impairment is almost always temporary and improves over time. It is an area of intense study, but the causes and mechanisms have not been fully worked out yet.
This depends on her general health, and medical condition(s), Generally the anesthesiologist will meet with her and go over medical history and general health and device an anesthesia plan that will minimize any side effects. Generally anesthesia side effects are short-lived, and drowsiness, and nausea depending on the agents can be controlled
The general anesthetics will be of her system within hours after the procedure. The effects of the narcotics, if she has any, may last 8-12 hours. Narcotics can cause sedation and confusion post op though. In addition, depending in the severity of the procedure, there may be other complications.
Depends on the duration of surgery and the type of anesthetic. Typically, After a spinal anesthetic the patient may recover fully from the effect of the spinal and any sedation used in about 1-2 hours after surgery. Following a general anesthetic, it is more variable with the drowsiness or "hangover effect" lasting about 6-8 hrs after surgery.
A. Prem, MD.
A. Prem, MD.
