Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 1/8/2007

Question
I suffered a severe health crisis a year ago....torsed ovary...by the time I reached the hospital I was near death. I was rushed into emergency surgery. I remember nothing after that. Not my hospital stay...not going home from the hospital several days later....everything for two to three weeks after the surgery is a total loss. Is this normal? I am having another surgery...hysterectomy with a bladder tie up soon and am wondering will I suffer such a loss of memory? I lost almost a month with this last surgery. Surgery is always traumatic for me as I have a very very very low threshold for pain. Thank you.

Answer
More than likely the hypotension (and not the anesthesia) caused the long term amnesia. Anesthesia foes cause amnesia (intentionally) but it should only cover the period from just before surgery to just after surgery. So I don't think you have to worry about the amnesia aspect.

Ronald Levy, MD
Associate Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston