During induction of general anaesthesia, is there any established sequence of onset of disabilities like vision, hearing, smell, taste, temperature, sensory, motor, and so on? Do they have any sequence of regaining as well during recovery?
Rabiul,
Great question! I will have to think on this one. Never thought about smell. Motor is probably the first notable in the sequence and hearing... I’m not sure if one ever truly loses that. I recall a study (years ago) about learning under anesthesia where the researchers applied a headset to the patient and played lectures in an obscure topic and tested the patient after surgery. The lecture group scored higher. Sorry not to have the reference readily available. I shall follow to hear others responses. Thank you for sharing your question.
Cheers,
Christopher
What an interesting question....!
Hearing is certainly preserved for what can often be a surprisingly long time,and might be said to be the last thing to go,and certainly many people have been caught out by that.
Using auditory evoked potentials and seeing how long a response is preserved is also an insight into that.
Motor responses are amongst the first to be obtunded,but in an un-paralysed patient,again may persist for a surprisingly long time.
Smell is an interesting one in that many patients describe alterations in their perceptions of smell as they undergo anaesthesia....for those of us old enough to remember thiopentone,most of us will recall patients saying they could smell/taste garlic as they drifted off.
Some describe similar sensations under propofol anaesthesia.
Motor definitely goes before sensory. Vision much sooner than the others. Hearing could be preserved under deeper level as proven by auditory testing under GA often for patients who are not paralyzed.
Dear Christopher A Smith , Ian Ewart & Zakaria Messieha
Thanks for your nice and valuable comments.