Aftereffects of anesthesia during gastroscopy

In the case of a gastroscopy, some patients are given a general anaesthetic. Basically, the after-effects of the anesthesia are the same as with any other anesthesia. Dizziness, nausea, memory disorders and confusion are possible. Other after-effects, such as hoarseness and sore throat, are more likely to be caused by the insertion of the gastroscopes or by intubation than by the anaesthesia itself. General anesthesia for gastroscopy is usually only used for anxious patients and people who cannot cooperate properly.

Causes

Heart rate and simultaneous blood pressure increase can have different causes, often wound pain, an overfilled bladder or lack of oxygen (hypoxia) are the reason for the increase of the two parameters. On the other hand, a drop in blood pressure can also occur, which is usually an expression of a volume/fluid deficiency in the blood vessels. This may be due to a lack of fluid intake during the operation or post-operative post-bleeding.

Pain occurs relatively soon after the patient wakes up, especially when the very short-acting opioid remifentanil is used. Opioids are pain-inhibiting substances that are also used for anesthesia. The nausea is caused by stimulation of the vomiting center in the brain stem or by messenger substances that bind to this region of the brain and thus stimulate it.

Approximately one in three people is affected by PONV (postoperative nausea and vomiting). Young people, women, non-smokers and people suffering from motion sickness are particularly frequently affected. There are also inhalation anesthetics that increase the risk of developing PONV and the administration of opioids (painkillers) after surgery increases the risk of nausea and vomiting.

The frequent feeling of coldness is explained by insufficient warming during the operation and/or a vessel dilatation, often caused by medication, which increases the loss of heat through the skin. Patients who are already suffering from mental disorders such as dementia, consume a lot of alcohol or are simply growing older are particularly affected by delirium. It can develop, among other things, due to the medication administered during surgery.