Dissociative Anesthesia - Types, Effects, and Benefits

Introduction

Anesthesia is used to block the pain sensation going to the brain. It is a pain-controlling medicine used by the doctor to numb the area for proceeding with the surgical procedure. There are many types of anesthetic drugs. Depending upon the route of administration anesthetic drugs can be intravenous or inhalation drugs. Some anesthetic agents make a patient feel detached and separated from the body, environment, and life; they can be infused through inhalation or intravenous injection, and these drugs are called dissociative drugs. This topic explains dissociative anesthesia.

What Is Dissociative Anesthesia?

Dissociative anesthesia is the anesthetic agent used to block nerve sensations. It is used in general anesthesia but does not unconscious the patient. Instead, dissociative anesthesia induces a state of sedation, immobility, amnesia, and analgesia (the inability to feel pain) and makes the patient feel distracted or detached from the environment without having true consciousness.

How Is It Administered?

A dissociative anesthetic is administered by a specialized doctor in anesthesiology, who is an anesthesiologist. It is delivered by injections given intravenously or orally.

What Are the Types of Dissociative Anesthetic Agents?

Dissociative anesthetic agents are the anesthetic drugs used to block nerve supplies and control pain during surgery. Some of the dissociative anesthesia agents are:

1. Phencyclidine (PCP) - It is an effective intravenous injection. It is used in treating mental and psychological disorders. It has been discontinued in humans since 1967.

• Effects - It causes numbness, slurred speech, loss of coordination, rapid and involuntary eye movements, auditory hallucinations, image distortions, severe mood disorders, amnesia (inability to remember or memory loss), anxiety, and even sometimes schizophrenia (a severe mental condition that has an impact on a person's thoughts, feelings, and behavior).

• Uses - In the treatment of psychotics.

• Forms - It is available in powder, liquid, and tablet forms.

2. Ketamine - It is used as a rapid surgical anesthetic agent.

• Effects - At low dosage, it has mild effects with a dreamy feeling. The patient can feel floaty. The numbness in the limbs can be commonly present. A higher dosage of Ketamine can make a person think or hallucinate about being near death. It can cause delirium, amnesia, depression, and long-term memory and cognitive difficulties.

• Uses - It is used in the treatment as an antipsychotic drug and general anesthesia usage.

• Forms - It is present in the form of liquid and powder.

3. Dextromethorphan - It is synthetically produced and used in cough and cold treatment products. It shows similar effects to central nervous system depressants.

• Effects - The high dosage of Dextromethorphan can cause the patient to feel spacey. There can be impaired motor functioning or movements as seen in a robot. Panic attacks with audio and video hallucinations can occur. There can be further nausea and itchy skin formations. Severe effects include brain damage, seizures, loss of consciousness, and irregular heartbeat.

• Forms - It is available in the form of a capsule, liquid, liquid gelatin capsule, lozenge, tablet, and powder.

4. Tiletamine - It is a good muscle relaxant with analgesic effects. It has wide safety margins and can cause increased heart rate and respiration.

• Effects - It is used in veterinary anesthetic.

• Forms - It is used in the form of tablets and liquid.

5. Nitrous Oxide - It is dissociative gas anesthesia delivered by inhalation method. It is also called laughing gas.

• Effects - It can cause effects like oxygen deprivation, loss of motor control, vitamin B12 interferences, folic acid imbalance, respiratory depression, apnea, low heart rate, irregular heart rhythms, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and bone marrow depression.

• Uses- It is used in general anesthesia for anesthetic effects.

• Form - It is only available in the form of gas.

Which Is the Most Commonly Used Dissociative Anesthetic Agent?

Ketamine is the most commonly used dissociative anesthetic agent. Ketamine is an agent used in both humans and animals. Ketamine is a derivative of Phencyclidine that is soluble in water and resembles Phencyclidine. It is a unique drug because it combines three properties of analgesia, amnesia, and hypnotic effects that no other medicine has. In addition, it has a rapid onset of action.

What Effects Does Dissociative Anesthesia Cause?

Dissociative anesthesia causes effects like:

• Difficulty in speech.

• Delirium.

• Agitation.

• Anxiety.

• Rigid muscle tone.

• Increased blood pressure.

• Convulsions.

• Difficulty in speech.

• Hallucinations.

• Violent reactions.

• Sensory distortions.

• Loss of memory.

What Are the Signs of an Overdose?

Dissociative anesthesia has the following signs of overdose--

• Deep coma (when the patient is not awake for more than 12 hours).

• Seizure.

• Respiratory depression.

• Heart arrest.

• Blank stare.

What Are the Benefits of Dissociative Anesthesia?

The benefits of dissociative anesthesia are:

• Palliative care.

• Antidepressants.

• Alcohol and substance abuse clinics.

• Reversing the tolerance of Morphine in cancer patients.

• Treatment of stroke victims.

• Pain management.

• Alleviation of phantom pains.

What Happens After Dissociative Anesthesia is Induced?

Induction of dissociative anesthesia is by injection, which is administered into the vein or intramuscularly to produce anesthesia. After the induction, the following changes are seen.

• The patient's consciousness is lost within 30 to 60 seconds after administering the injection.

• Return of consciousness occurs after the 20 minutes of injection is administered.

• The amnesia persists for about 60 to 90 minutes after the recovery of consciousness.

What Happens After the Long-Term Use of Dissociative Anesthesia?

The long-term use of dissociative anesthesia or a higher dose can cause serious side effects. In addition, long-term continued use of anesthetic drugs can cause symptoms like difficulty holding the urine or vitamin B12 deficiency, anemia, or nerve damage.

What Is Dissociative Drug Abuse?

Dissociative drug abuse occurs when the dose recommended is not used as directed. The dose taken frequently more than the demand can cause damage to the brain. A few signs of abuse include:

• Cutting down social activities because of drug use.

• The patient can feel the drug is required regularly or daily.

• The patient requires more drugs to achieve the desired results.

Conclusion

Dissociative anesthesia is the drug used in general anesthesia and causes feelings of detachment from reality and disconnection. The effects of the dissociative drugs depend on the dose and range from a mild stimulant effect to more serious results such as an overdose or respiratory distress.