General anaesthesia: Difference between revisions

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2019}}Anesthesia has little to no effect on brain function, unless there is an existing brain disruption. Barbiturates, or the drugs used to administer anesthesia do not effect auditory brain stem response.<ref>{{Cite journal |lastlast1=Smith |firstfirst1=D.I. |last2=Mills |first2=J.H. |date=May 1989 |title=Anesthesia effects: auditory brain-stem response |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0013-4694(89)90047-3 |journal=Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology |volume=72 |issue=5 |pages=422–428 |doi=10.1016/0013-4694(89)90047-3 |pmid=2469566 |issn=0013-4694}}</ref> An example of a brain disruption would be a concussion.<ref>{{Cite journal |lastlast1=Rasouli |firstfirst1=Mohammed R. |last2=Kavin |first2=Michelle |last3=Stache |first3=Stephen |last4=Mahla |first4=Michael E. |last5=Schwenk |first5=Eric S. |date=February 2020 |title=Anesthesia for the patient with a recently diagnosed concussion: think about the brain! |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31257815 |journal=Korean Journal of Anesthesiology |volume=73 |issue=1 |pages=3–7 |doi=10.4097/kja.19272 |issn=2005-7563 |pmc=7000285 |pmid=31257815}}</ref> It can be risky and lead to further brain injury if anesthesia is used on a concussed person. Concussions create ionic shifts in the brain that adjust the neuronal transmembrane potential. In order to restore this potential more glucose has to be made to equal the potential that is lost. This can be very dangerous and lead to cell death. This makes the brain very vulnerable in surgery. There are also changes to cerebral blood flow. The injury complicates the oxygen blood flow and supply to the brain.