Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 5/30/2011

Question
My husband recently had surgery to remove his prostate due to cancer.  He was under for 6.5 hours.  I have seen a change in his memory and thinking processes since that time. Can anesthesia cause this and if so, is it temporary or permanent?  Thank you for your time.

Answer
There has bee no definitive link between anesthesia and memory (although a lot of research is being done in this area) but certainly age combined with other co-morbid factors, nutrition and severity of surgery have associations with that. Give it some time and see if it improves.


Ronald Levy, MD
Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston