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British Journal of Anaesthesia, 2001, Vol. 86, No. 2 196-202
© 2001 The Board of Management and Trustees of the British Journal of Anaesthesia

Absence of memory for intra-operative information during surgery with total intravenous anaesthesia{dagger}

I. F. Russell1 and M. Wang2

1Department of Anaesthesia, Hull Royal Infirmary, Anlaby Road, Kingston upon Hull HU3 2JZ, UK. 2Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Hull, Cottingham Road, Kingston upon Hull HU6 7RX, UK*Corresponding author

{dagger}This study was initially presented at the Fourth International Symposium on Memory and Awareness in Anaesthesia, held at Northwick Park on July 10–12, 1998; an abbreviated form of the results was published in the book of abstracts from that meeting.

While using the isolated forearm technique, we wished to determine whether patients who did not respond to commands during general anaesthesia with a total intravenous technique (propofol and alfentanil with atracurium) had any evidence of post-operative explicit or implicit memory. Forty women undergoing major gynaecological surgery were randomized, in a double-blind design, to hear two different tapes during surgery. Psychological tests of explicit and implicit memory were conducted within 2 h of surgery. There was no evidence of implicit or explicit memory, nor any recall, in the seven women who responded to commands during surgery. We conclude that during total intravenous anaesthesia with propofol and alfentanil, there is no evidence that learning takes place when anaesthesia is adequate. Furthermore, with this anaesthetic technique, it would seem that—provided any period of patient responsiveness is short and that unconsciousness is induced rapidly again—there is no evidence of implicit or explicit memory.

Br J Anaesth 2001; 86: 196–202


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