Many of the complications arising from anesthetics do not stem directly from the medicine itself, but are connected to the lifestyle of the patient. Pediatric anesthetist Dr. Chris Vallis suggests lifestyle has a lot to do with how an individual fares and reacts with anesthesia. Goldiner et al (1978) found that people who led a healthy and active lifestyle had a lower chance of complications after being given Bleomycin (an anesthetic). Doctors typically advise patients to make necessary adjustments to their lifestyle before undergoing surgery. These reforms generally tend to include weight loss, minimal alcohol, drug, and tobacco consumption, becoming more active, and tracking blood pressure. However, many of these reforms can prove personally …show more content…
Too much or too little can carry catastrophic risk. On May 17th 2010 an article detailing a case of anesthesia “awareness” was published on CNN’s website. In these rare cases patients are prepped for surgery and put under the anesthetic, only to awaken during the procedure unable to inform anyone of their situation. Because of the powerful muscle relaxants in their system they unable to move or talk, but they can hear and see. It is not uncommon for people in this situation to suffer cardiac arrest during their operation, as it is massively traumatic. In one particular case, Carol Weiher, an American woman from Illinois was undergoing an operation to remove her right eye. Weiher described awakening to the sound of disco music and the voice of the surgical team being instructed to ‘cut deeper and pull harder’. Ms. Weiher was left with the horrific memory of being operated on whilst conscious- hugely harmful and clearly in breach of basic medical ethics. Calculating the correct dose of anesthetic can mean life or death: an overdose of anesthetic can be fatal; and if the dose falls short of the needs of the patient they could awaken during their procedure, causing panic and possible heart failure. It is with situations such as this that ethical responsibility lies with the anesthetist- fulfilling their beneficence and non-maleficence duties alongside being, at a basic level, a competent