With ongoing research there is an increasing amount of people who believe that the use of anesthesia could actually be causing brain damage. The studies that have been conducted on animals have proven various side effects although it is difficult to compare the effects of the drug on both people and animals. On the tests that have been conducted safely on humans it appears that there is an indication of brain damage in children who have had an ongoing exposure to anesthesia for their own medical reasons.
Due to this awareness more studies were conducted on children who had not been exposed to anesthesia. Nonetheless, the percentage of neurological damage was much lower than that of the children who had been exposed; of course, researchers have incorporated the gender, weight and health conditions of each patient. Overall there is a large gap between the two groups and it is quite clear that there is a negative effect on the brain on children who had various surgeries before the young age of 3.
In many occupations there is a responsibility on behalf of the medical professional who must explain any risks that are present when the medication is provided. Think of it this way – when an individual is under the influence of anesthesia it is similar to being in a coma. There are many people who do not like to compare the two because it sounds rather dangerous but because the doctor has the patient in a controlled state it is very different. It is very important that those involved with the work such as medical transcriptionists and anesthesiologists stay up to date on such important findings.
Whatever the brain is exposed to will either turn on or suppress any activity taking place within the brain. When drugs such as ketamine are exposed in small amounts it can cause illusionary symptoms although in high doses it can disorganize thoughts within the brain making the patient unconscious. As of right now there is not enough evidence to indicate that it can cause brain damage or ADHD. There is more research that needs to be conducted on humans who have undergone procedures using the drug so that the findings are not limited to immature and underdeveloped brains.
The studies that have been performed on young adult mice shows that the newborns were the subjects that suffered from neuron loss in areas of the brain while in juvenile subjects there was no impact on the brain whatsoever. After repeated studies scientists found that the neurons that were damaged by the anesthesia had a lot to do with the age at what stage they were developing. Although this has raised concern there isn’t a current threat for those who need to take the drug for medical cases.
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