Summary
Several cases of intense unexpressed anxiety have been reported following administration of Droperidol/Fentanyl as a premedicant.
The present paper relates one such case. A 71-year-old lady received a total dose of 5 mg Droperidol and 0.10 mg Fentanyl for transvenous pacemaker implantation performed under local anaesthesia.
The patient appeared calm and relaxed during the operation, which lasted 75 minutes. In no way did she ever express any feeling of anxiety or discomfort.
Six days later she came back for replacement of an electrode. This time she insisted on general anaesthesia. She described her first operation as an horrifying experience. She had been completely unable to speak, but she insisted that she had shown her discomfort by moving and sighing. She was quite belligerent to the anaesthetist whom, she believes, should have perceived the message.
Her second operation was performed under general anaesthesia and was uneventful.
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References
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Boulanger, M. A propos d’un cas de “curarisation cerebrale”. Canad. Anaesth. Soc. J. 19, 198–199 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03005050
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03005050