Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 3/18/2010

Question
Hi,

My mother went to Europe on vacation in her hometown and while she was there she had a procedure done (for women only) that required the use of anesthesia.  After she came back from vacation (I don't have an exact timeframe) she started showing unusual symptoms.  Sleeping excessively, not eating, displaying paranoia.  This went on for about 2 weeks or so until it was decided we had to get her help.  She has been hospitalized since December 2009.  She is showing psychosis/schizophrenia type symptoms.  She has no history of mental illness herself.  When she was getting a little better she was given a couple days leave from the hospital a couple of times.  Each time she would withdraw into not eating, taking medication and showing systems of psychosis/paranoia so we had to take her back to the hospital.

I can only think that the anesthesia which was administered to her was not done properly and may have done something to her brain.  Is this possible and if so can it be treated and or go away completely.  Nothing seems to help presently with what is being done at the hospital.  My brother in speaking with medical personnel was told it could be possible.

Please help.  I want my mother back.

Answer
Without knowing what happpened during the surgery, I can't possibly explain the psychosis although I doubt it is due to anesthesia. There is nothing (from an anesthetic point of view) that could cause this. It might be that the surgery triggered an underlying psychiatric problem, or hypoxia/anoxia during surgery or an embolic stroke to the brain could have caused it but there is no way to tell at this point. I don't have much more help to give you here other than to assure you that it was not the anesthesia, per se, that caused it.

Ronald Levy, MD
Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston