Re: Info needed -- risks on general anesthesia for coma survivors

From: J (day_at_example.net)
Date: 08/26/04 

Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2004 22:09:32 -0400

Sam Libowitz wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> A friend of mine must have a colon resection. Her surgon assures her
> that it's almost a riskless situation as far as the cancer goes;
> however, her medical history (she was in a coma for more than a month
> long ago) makes general anesthesia, if required, a whole new ballgame
> -- she could not wake up, a risk for coma survivors. Her neurologist
> puts the odds (very shakily) at "under 50%".
>
> We both of us would like a little more hard data on the risk involved,
> if any exists. If anyone has such data, or links to pages discussing
> this condition, it would be greatly apreciated.
>
> Thanks for your time.
>
> Sam L.

Hello Sam,
I'm not a "medic".
Some ideas what I might try.
Book an appointment with the name of the anesthesiologist who wiill be
overseeing her care during the surgery and ask his/her opinion. It might
be helpful to find out which anesthetic is planned. (s)he may even decide,
given enough information, a different type of anesthetic or may have
encountered similar and may be able to allay your concerns. (or not).

Ask the anesthesiologist on about.com
His email is at the bottom http://anesthesiologyinfo.com/

Try news:sci.med (longshot).

I would think all three would want to know (in brief) what caused or led
up to the coma, what tests (in brief) have been recently run on her brain
or elsewhere. (or what was ruled out as a cause and how).
Some causes of coma are listed here
http://www.neurologychannel.com/coma/symptom.shtml

Let us know how she's doing and how things go.

Best wishes,
J

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Life on Mars - care to explain?
    ... He's now back in the coma. ... He only regained consciousness for around 20 seconds. ... The way I see it working is that Gene Hunt was a real copper working ... At the time Sam was a teenager and read about the case. ...
    (uk.media.tv.misc)
  • Re: Ashes to Ashes - Comments?
    ... Which of course makes no sense in context, since during Sam's coma ... series was set entirely in 1973 - certainly Sam was in a coma for long ... the experiences of a mind in a coma to a near-death experience, ... the first series, finding jokes in hackneyed "Isn't PC silly?" ...
    (rec.arts.drwho)
  • Re: AMC - medical question
    ... When you're going to operate on a person in a coma, ... Do you just assume they don't feel anything and skip the anesthesia ... General anesthesia (the kind where they put you to sleep) ... case they come out of the coma during surgery. ...
    (rec.arts.tv.soaps.abc)
  • Re: Info needed -- risks on general anesthesia for coma survivors
    ... Or possibly getting a 2nd anesthesiologist opinion? ... sounds like a perfect reason to have it done at a major medical ... Sam Libowitz wrote: ... >>up to the coma, what tests have been recently run on her brain ...
    (sci.med.diseases.cancer)
  • Re: AMC - medical question
    ... When you're going to operate on a person in a coma, ... Do you just assume they don't feel anything and skip the anesthesia ... General anesthesia (the kind where they put you to sleep) ... case they come out of the coma during surgery. ...
    (rec.arts.tv.soaps.abc)