Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 5/17/2009

Question
Hello
I had 4-bypass heart surgery. I was rolled on a bed into one room, woke up in another room. The nurse was waiting for me to wake up. How do they know when you are going to wake up?

Also, she asked if I could move my hands. I did. Asked if I could move my arms. I did. She commented that I should not be able to do that, should have swollen hands. I did not.

Is those symptoms of surgery or anesthesia?

Thank you for the time.

Answer
The first part of your question is common. People often don't wake up immediately after heart surgery and the medicines we give make you amnestic so you won't remember much after going into the operating room. As for how they know when you will wake up, they don't, it's a process but they are always checking on you.

The bit about the arms and hands I don't understand. We often ask that question if we are concerned they had a stroke or if we were operating on the nerves that affect the hands, but not after heart surgery. I have no idea about the swollen hands.

Ronald Levy, MD
Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston