Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 1/25/2007

Question
I was told by the dr. before a colonoscopy screening that with sedation I would be in for a 20 minute "nap", would recover in a hour and could go home.  According to the medical records in about exactly one hour after the last shot of Versed was given I was sent home.  I was never given any warning that the nurse was giving me the sedation, and I woke up to find myself sitting at home in a chair,not knowing how I got there. I never heard any voices or saw any faces and the complete confusion and disorientation I experienced resulted in me having a severe panic attack that landed me in the hospital ER. I have never had panic attacks before, and I have been in counseling for over a year now to keep these attacks under control.  If I ever allow anyone to give sedation again, how do I ever insure that I will be allowed to wake up before being put out the door, and more so ,how do I ever trust the people giving me the drugs to follow thru in watching out for me so I never have to feel this unsafe again?  I am now afraid to let these people out of my sight.  

Answer
I can't explain why the nurse did what she did. What I can tell you is that Versed is an amnestic drug, which means that most people don't remember being in the OR or even several hours afterwards. So it is entirely possible that she did warn you and that you behaved normally enough to de discharged (and you not remember any of it), but I would think that by the time you were discharged, you would have had some memory. In any case, make sure that if you ever need another procedure, that you tell the anesthesiologist what happened this time so that they can be more aware of how you react to the medicines.

Ronald Levy, MD
Associate Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston