EEG-controlled "overdosage" of anesthetics in a patient with a history of intra-anesthetic awareness

Increased risk of intraoperative awareness in patients with a history of awareness

BACKGROUND

Patients with a history of intraoperative awareness with explicit recall (AWR) are hypothesized to be at higher risk for AWR than the general surgical population. In this study, the authors assessed whether patients with a history of AWR (1) are actually at higher risk for AWR; (2) receive different anesthetic management; and (3) are relatively resistant to the hypnotic actions of volatile anesthetics.

METHODS

Patients with a history of AWR and matched controls from three randomized clinical trials investigating prevention of AWR were compared for relative risk of AWR. Anesthetic management was compared with the use of the Hotelling's T statistic. A linear mixed model, including previously identified covariates, assessed the effects of a history of AWR on the relationship between end-tidal anesthetic concentration and bispectral index.

RESULTS

The incidence of AWR was 1.7% (4 of 241) in patients with a history of AWR and 0.3% (4 of 1,205) in control patients (relative risk = 5.0; 95% CI, 1.3-19.9). Anesthetic management did not differ between cohorts, but there was a significant effect of a history of AWR on the end-tidal anesthetic concentration versus bispectral index relationship.

CONCLUSIONS

Surgical patients with a history of AWR are five times more likely to experience AWR than similar patients without a history of AWR. Further consideration should be given to modifying perioperative care and postoperative evaluation of patients with a history of AWR.

[Intraoperative memory. A study of its incidence in general anesthesia in 326 patients]

OBJECTIVES

Measuring the incidence of intraoperative recall in our hospital.

STUDY DESIGN

Prospective study.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Three hundred and twenty-six patients who underwent a general anaesthesia for elective surgery on selected sites (general, urology, ORL, gynaecology and obstetrical, vascular and cardiac, thoracic) were interviewed on the first or the second postoperative day using a standard questionnaire. When recall was suspected, the anaesthetist was consulted and the anaesthetic record was looked at in order to evaluate the authenticity of any recollections.

RESULTS

Four patients mentioned an anomaly evoking intra-operative recall. The reduction in the anaesthetic level would explain authentic recollection for one patient. The recollection of another patient could not be truly verified. The site was the same for these two cases and the anaesthetic protocol for digestive surgery comprised curare and droperidol. The recollections for the two other patients did not correspond to the intraoperative period. The incidence of this phenomenon on the totality of sites was 0.6 per cent.

CONCLUSION

This result conforms to other studies. This phenomenon is a quality indicator, but probably under estimated. Although retrospective, this evaluation is quick and easy. This research in post-operative period should be systematic in order to find the reason and to propose an early course of action for these patients. An analysis of the anaesthetic protocol is necessary when the frequency of intraoperative recall is too high.

Comparison of isoflurane and desflurane anesthetic depth using burst suppression of the electroencephalogram in neurosurgical patients

We compared the anesthetic effects of desflurane and isoflurane using percent burst suppression of the electroencephalogram (EEG) as an end-point in 10 neurosurgical patients. The EEG was recorded from frontal leads and processed variables were analyzed as a function of increasing isoflurane and desflurane concentration with age and baseline delta EEG power (0.5-3.75 Hz) as independent variables. Isoflurane and desflurane (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 minimum alveolar anesthetic concentration [MAC]) were incrementally administered until the EEG was quiesecent at least 40% of the time. Both anesthetics were evaluated separately in each patient. By analysis of variance, isoflurane and desflurane produced dose-related increments in burst suppression which were significantly affected by the age and baseline delta EEG of the patient. When isoflurane and desflurane were equated by MAC and adjusted for age, they produced statistically similar patterns of EEG burst suppression. Within subjects, a high degree of correlation was observed for percent burst suppression between equipotent levels of isoflurane and desflurane (r = 0.85; P < 0.05). Patients with baseline delta EEG power less than 80% of total power showed increases in delta EEG and decreases in median frequency with isoflurane and desflurane. Patients with baseline delta EEG power > 80% of total power produced no change in EEG frequency with increasing anesthesia but revealed a greater sensitivity to the development of burst suppression. These results show that isoflurane and desflurane produce similar EEG suppression in neurosurgical patients. If the EEG is initially slow, further slowing cannot be used to assess anesthetic depth.