Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 2/25/2010

Question
So, I'm writing a scene that involves surgery and having to anesthetize someone and was wondering how long it would take to do this process, and if it would be safe to do it. How does the procedure differ in an emergency?? Or would it just be done locally, on the spot the surgery is occuring. Would you administer all the same meds as in this description : http://www.wikihow.com/Administer-General-Anesthesia or would it differ somehow.

Are there dangers involved in this that I can use to ramp up the drama of the story??

Thanks a bunch,

Martin

Answer
The whole process (from when they get to the OR to asleep) is generally 5-15 minutes. In an emergency, it can be faster. The process described on the web site is accurate but it makes it seem like it would take an hour. They are starting from where you see the patient preoperatively and, for elective cases, that can take longer. We do not necessarily use the same meds for an emergency. Depending on several factors (full stomach, hypotension, airway issues, intracranial hypertension, etc), the drugs we use (and the technique) may change. As for ramping up the drama, it depends on what kind of surgery you are performing as to how to make it more engaging. The factors I mentioned above would be one way to ramp it up.

Ronald Levy, MD
Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston