Credits: Social Media
Six weird things that are sometimes done to you while under anesthesia
Going under anesthesia is unnerving for many, and it’s about to get even weirder because there are many things they do to you while unconscious.
An anesthetist has revealed some of the common things she does while you’re asleep that you have no idea about, from moisturising your lips to extra IVs.
Weird things that are sometimes done under anesthesia
Speaking on TikTok, Olivia Reeves listed six different things that are sometimes done to a patient while under anesthesia.
1. Moisturise your lips
First, she said that often, people’s lips are really dry and chapped when they are about to be taken for surgery. So, she often puts lip balm on them. If you’ve ever woken up after going under with juicy lips, now you know why!
2. Soft bite block
Keeping with the mouth, Reeves said that she often puts a soft bite block inside people’s mouths, as long as they don’t have any trouble breathing. It’s a rolled-up piece of gauze that’s placed between the molars to soak up your saliva and protect your tongue.
3. IV in your ankle
Everyone’s used to seeing IVs in people’s wrists, but the anesthetist said she sometimes puts a second one into the ankle that wasn’t there when you went to sleep, right in the saphenous vein. One will be for the drip and another will be for the fluids.
4. Shave your body hair
If you’ve got loads of body hair on your back, arm or anywhere they need to stick a dressing down, she will get a razor out and shave that area. It will usually be a perfect square, just enough so the dressing can stay on.
5. Tube in your neck
When people are having a big surgery like open heart surgery or valve replacement, she puts a tube into the internal jugular vein in the neck while you are under. However, she always puts a dressing over it before the person wakes up.
6. IV into your artery
Finally, if you’ve ever woken up from surgery with a square patch of missing hair on your arm, that’s because you had a large bore IV, which is like a normal IV but instead of going to your vein it goes into your artery. This allows them to monitor your blood pressure.
Olivia Reeves is a registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) in California, who regularly administers anesthesia to patients in the hospital.
