NetWellness Anesthesia

IV Sedation and Venous Insufficiency

Gareth Kantor MD — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:01:00 EST

Question: Hello, I am a 25 year old male, non smoker, physically fit/active, 5`10` 156 lbs. I am booked to have elective surgery to remove a mild case of gynecomastia (breast tissue) at a cosmetic surgery clinic in Brussels (I live in UK). The operation will last no more than an hour and I will be administere . . .

Answer:

Thanks for your question. Netwellness cannot provide medical advice to you. Three important points however:

1. It is most unwise to withhold details of your medical history from the medical team taking care of you. It may put your life at risk. Answer the questions they put to you honest . . .

Ask an Expert: Gareth Kantor MD, Anesthesia

Anesthesia

NetWellness Staff . — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 11:01:00 EST

Question: Where did anesthesia come from?

Answer: Thank you for visiting NetWellness. The link below will connect you to information from The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland that answers your question. Best wishes.

Ask an Expert: NetWellness Staff ., Anesthesia

Lung Damage After Minor Operation

Gareth Kantor MD — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 17:12:00 EST

Question: My father was recently operated on for a vein extension on his leg. After the operation he deteriorated rapidly and was placed on a B-Pap machine to assist breathing. After a few days he was unable to breathe on his own for more than a couple of minutes. Tests revealed no infection as such the probl . . .

Answer:

Unfortunately this is a not a diagnostic services and I cannot respond directly to your question.

Lung complications after surgery are as common as cardiovascular complications. The factors that increase the risk of problems include age, the site of surgery (e.g. lung, abdomen surgery), smok . . .

Ask an Expert: Gareth Kantor MD, Anesthesia

Being Paralyzed-Necessary or Not?

Gareth Kantor MD — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:12:00 EST

Question:

I hope that this question doesn`t sound too dumb...I recently had knee surgery (torn meniscus) and the anesthesia was general. I had a bad reaction during dental surgery to the valium-like drug midazolam (it was terrible, I went nuts)...so I asked them not to use it. Just before the surgery they . . .

Answer:

It's not absolutely necessary to be paralysed for insertion of a breathing tube that is passed through the vocal cords (known as an endotracheal tube). But it is very much the norm. Breathing tubes that stay above the vocal cords - such as the laryngeal mask airway - don't usually require paralys . . .

Ask an Expert: Gareth Kantor MD, Anesthesia

Low Blood Pressure Due to Condition & Surgery

Gareth Kantor MD — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 21:12:00 EST

Question: My boyfriend is a war veteran, and has a piece of shrapnel in his abdomen that has broken into several pieces. One has lodged in his kidney and is causing internal bleeding. He is on medication to increase his blood pressure in order to surgically remove the pieces, but the surgeon is afraid his blo . . .

Answer: In an adult, a blood pressure of 60/40 is very low indeed. Perhaps you've not understood the correct number. If your boyfriend's blood pressure is in fact this low then he is critically ill. A patient like this may have ongoing bleeding or may have developed sepsis, which is part of the body's respo . . .

Ask an Expert: Gareth Kantor MD, Anesthesia

Anesthesia Options

Gareth Kantor MD — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:12:00 EST

Question: I need to have fairly urgent ortho surgery to fix a locked knee (entrapped cartilidge). The surgeon said that she would prefer general by an anesthesiologist; but after much effort, I can only get a CRNA-and I don`t want a nurse for this; the anesthesiologist may or may not "supervise" her . . .

Answer: In my view you are setting yourself up for problems. If you can't trust your anesthesia provider to make good decisions on your behalf without altering the normal consent document then it may be wise for you to seek your medical care at another center where you can feel more comfortable.

Ask an Expert: Gareth Kantor MD, Anesthesia

One or Several Procedures with Anesthesia?

Gareth Kantor MD — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 17:12:00 EST

Question: My 6 year old son is severely disabled. He has had 5 anesthesias since birth. He now needs anesthesia for 3 procedures : - checking his retina (very high myopia and does not dilate with atropine, his eye doctor can only check properly if sedated) - putting a fourth set of grommets(and possibly remov . . .

Answer: Doing all the procedures at the same time would be the ideal, but that is often difficult to arrange. There is no recognized limit to the number of anesthetics that a person should have over a lifetime. Each anesthetic may pose some (usually small) risk but the risk does not increase each time with . . .

Ask an Expert: Gareth Kantor MD, Anesthesia

Anesthesia Related Taste Loss

NetWellness Staff . — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 13:12:00 EST

Question: My father is experiencing his second incidence of taste loss with no loss of smell. Both times the taste loss was preceeded by inflammation of the mouth with a very high sensitivity to acidic foods which resolved after a few days. This time the loss of taste is more persistant and he has lost weight . . .

Answer: Thank you for visiting NetWellness. A question similar to yours has been previously addressed. The links below will connect you to that information. NetWellness may also have some general information available that you can access through our