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Biology News - September 2008

Anesthetics and Post-Op Pain

September 8th 2008 14:45
Scientists have recently found a downside to some of the anesthetics used to put people to sleep for surgery. Apparently, not only do they allow patients to sleep through a surgery, but they cause patients to wake up in more pain. According to researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center, the reason this occurs is because the anesthetics react with certain nerve cell proteins called TRPA1. Proteins are the molecules eventually made from our genes (DNA). These proteins go on to do many things – they provide the basis for our cell walls, hair, skin, nails and almost everything else. The proteins on nerve cells, however, when combined with the effects of the anesthetics, increase the pain signal sent from the nerve cell to the brain. Like everything else, different patients respond differently to this, some feeling more pain than others, even though they may have had the same surgery and the same anesthetic. Luckily, now that scientists and doctors are aware of this phenomenon, they can either avoid the anesthetics that interact with these nerve cell proteins, or they can develop new drugs that can accomplish the same goal without the painful side-effects.


Sources: Sept 2008 Scientific American, June 24 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
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Comment by katyzzz

September 8th 2008 21:06


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Excellent source, but I can't help thinking this one sounds a bit problematic.

Comment by R.C. Anderson

September 9th 2008 18:26


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Problematic as in for the patient or problematic as in finding anesthetics that don't trigger these nerves to react? Either way, I think you're right but with more research, hopefully scientists can find a way to overcome the problem without reducing the drug's effectiveness.

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