“Are you awake during appendix surgery?”
I was under the impression that my appendix surgery will be done under general anesthesia, but my friend had his with local. Are you typically awake during this surgery? Why are some surgeries done under local?
4 Answers
I think they are usually done under general but they can be done under local—obviously. It comes down to whether or not it is an emergency (im guessing not since you had time to ask this), patient choice, and safety issues. I recommend you discuss with your surgeon and anesthesiologist.
From Christopher Creighton
From Christopher Creighton
Typically appendectomy is performed under general anesthesia with an endotracheal tube placed through the vocal cords into the wind pipe. Appendectomy can also be performed under spinal or epidural anesthesia while the patient is awake though sedated. When procedures are performed under local is because the patient may be very ill or the patient may be pregnant. I’ve performed spinal/epidural anesthesia on pregnant women so as not to get the gases absorbed through the placenta to the fetus.
Appendectomies are usually performed under general anesthesia, but could certainly be done with a spinal block or even epidural block.
I am not sure why he was awake during his surgery, but in the USA, almost all appendix surgeries are done under general anesthesia. Some surgeries are done under local anesthesia because it is best for patient. Every general anesthetic has risks associated with it, so risk-benefit analysis is done in making decisions regarding anesthesia and type of surgery.
