Why do people wake up during surgery? Why did Leslie wake up in Baileys OR tonight?
During some procedures, the team of medical professionals may choose to administer less anesthesia to the patient due to the nature of the surgery. They make a calculated decision based on the patient’s general health, medical history, and current problem. For example, if a patient seems to be having severe respiratory problems, the team may choose to lighten the anesthesia dose. Also, people react to medications differently; it involves the patient’s drug metabolism. Drug metabolism is the process where the body breaks down medication and converts it to active chemical substances, through the use of enzymes (also manufactured within the body). Though many tissues in the body can metabolize substances, most metabolic activity occurs in the liver. In Episode 613, we introduce anesthesiologist Dr. Ben Warren. After the incident in Bailey’s OR, Ben runs a work-up on patient Leslie Wilson and determines that her body metabolizes anesthetic agents much more quickly than most people. He retu
