Will anesthesia affect intelligence?

It is inevitable for people to receive anesthesia in their lives. Those who have received anesthesia know that many people will have this feeling. After the anesthesia wears off, their head seems to be a little numb, and their memory and reaction become duller. Many people mistakenly believe that this is a sequelae left over from the anesthesia. In fact, this statement is unscientific. The following will introduce whether anesthesia will affect intelligence.

Does anesthesia affect intelligence?

Regular anesthesia will not "harm" the brain

Anesthesia includes general anesthesia and analgesic sedation anesthesia. General anesthesia refers to the administration of general anesthetic drugs through a peripheral intravenous channel, and the patient undergoes examination or surgery in an unconscious state. For example, general anesthesia is used during abortion to relieve pain and suppress harmful reflexes. Analgesic sedation anesthesia refers to the administration of analgesic sedatives through a peripheral intravenous channel, which can reduce the patient's discomfort during examination or surgery, and the patient can remain conscious during the examination. For example, analgesia, sedation and anesthesia are usually used during gastrointestinal endoscopy.

General anesthesia

General anesthesia is a method of allowing anesthetics to enter the bloodstream through intravenous injection, intramuscular injection, inhalation, etc., and then reach the brain to take effect. It includes techniques such as sedation, analgesia, and muscle relaxation. The sedatives used in anesthesia have an "anterograde amnesia" effect. You will not remember what happened after the drugs take effect, helping you to eliminate the scary memories before and after the entire operation.

"General anesthesia will affect intelligence." This is a problem often encountered in the anesthesia and surgery department. In fact, among the various anesthesia methods currently used, the effect of regional block on the human body can be said to be minimal and can basically be ignored. The speculation that "general anesthesia damages the brain" is also unfounded. The general anesthetics currently used have a relatively short duration of action and their effects are reversible. The anesthetic effect disappears after the drug is metabolized in the body. Drug residues, secondary distribution and other reasons may cause the illusion that "behavioral cognitive ability and memory" are affected after surgery - these do not mean that the "brain is broken", these are all caused by the normal process of drug metabolism in the body. According to current medical data, there is no evidence that the anesthetic drugs and methods currently used are harmful to children's health and intelligence. If you do not use anesthesia in order to achieve the hypothetical "brain damage", the various stress responses that the body automatically produces due to physical pain may actually cause greater harm to the body.

Do you need to abstain from food and drink only during general anesthesia?

Many people think that fasting and abstaining from food and drink are only required for general anesthesia. In fact, fasting and abstaining from food and drink are necessary for all patients who require anesthesia. This is because, after anesthesia, especially general anesthesia, the patient may experience vomiting, regurgitation, and choking due to sphincter relaxation and weakened protective reflexes. In severe cases, the air may be accidentally aspirated into the respiratory tract, causing airway spasm and suffocation. In addition, strong choking can also affect examination or surgical operations. Therefore, all patients who require anesthesia must fast for 8 hours and abstain from drinking (water) for 4 hours before examination or surgery. Patients can only drink sugary liquid foods after they are fully awake and meet the discharge criteria after surgery.