Women React Differently to Anesthesia
May 14, 2001
According to a new report from Australian researchers, women are less affected by anesthesia but more susceptible to the side affects associated with the drug anesthetics. This information comes from interviews where it was discovered after surveys were taken of 463 men and women who underwent elective procedures such as orthopedic, plastic, and urological surgery. As documented in the British Medical Journal, researchers found that women opened their eyes about 2 minutes faster than men did after an operation. The study also found that women followed commands almost 3 minutes faster than men, as well. Conversely, the study showed that men experience less postoperative complications than women, including bouts of nausea and vomiting, headache, and backache.
The fact that women open their eyes faster than men suggests that they are less sensitive to anesthesia. This new study information further supports studies already published which stated that women are three times as likely as men to complain of waking during surgery, and that women wake up almost twice as fast as men after surgery.
Despite this information, researchers are still trying to determine why women are less sensitive to anesthesia but more apt to experience the side effects associated with anesthesia. More research is planned to further study these concepts.
-- Article Courtesy of InjuryBoard.com
More ...
- Fertility Procedures Linked to Pregnancy Complications
- Prometrium / Progesterone
- Women's Health Matters: Overview
.