- Resource Type
- Report or Study
From Prohealth
Having Chronic Fatigue Syndrome & Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS) does not exempt patients from other illnesses and conditions that may involve surgery. Procedures that require anesthesia, such as extraction of wisdom teeth, cataract surgery, or removal of an inflamed appendix or gallbladder are common enough in the general population to predict that you will likely have one or several procedures after contracting ME/CFS. Unlike the general population, patients with ME/CFS have a specific set of sensitivities that require modification of anesthetic drugs.
Avoid Histamine
A study conducted by Fred Friedburg, Lucy Dechene, Maggie McKenzie and Robert Fontanetta in 2000 found that nearly 90% of long-term Chronic Fatigue Syndrome & Myalgic Encephalomyelitis patients suffered from allergies. (1, 2) Histamines are part of the inflammatory immune response to infection, and are responsible for some of the weakness, exhaustion, and malaise experienced by normally healthy people when they become ill. As these are symptoms experienced by most ME/CFS patients, an increase in histamine levels will only make them feel worse. In fact, Lucy Dechene, Ph.D., has proposed that histamine overproduction can substantially contribute to the development of the ME/CFS's most significant effects. (3)
Because so many ME/CFS patients not only have allergies, but are sensitive to histamine itself, anesthesiologist Patrick L. Glass, MD of Reno, Nevada recommends against histamine-releasers. This group includes sodium pentothal, which is a thiobarbituate. In fact, Dr. Glass cautions against any drug in the thiobarbituate family, as they are all histamine-releasers. (These can be identified by the inclusion of "thio" - Thiamylal, Thiobarbital - in the name.)
Patients should also avoid muscle relaxants in the Curare family, such as Curare, Tracrium, and Mevacurium, which are also potent histamine-releasers.
For ME/CFS patients, Dr. Glass recommends Diprivan (propofol) as the induction agent, Versed (midazolam), fentanyl (a short-acting narcotic) and droperidol (an anti-nausea agent) during the anesthetic.
See the Rest of the Recommendations here - http://www.prohealth.com/me-cfs/me-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-anesthesia-recommendations.cfm
Having Chronic Fatigue Syndrome & Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS) does not exempt patients from other illnesses and conditions that may involve surgery. Procedures that require anesthesia, such as extraction of wisdom teeth, cataract surgery, or removal of an inflamed appendix or gallbladder are common enough in the general population to predict that you will likely have one or several procedures after contracting ME/CFS. Unlike the general population, patients with ME/CFS have a specific set of sensitivities that require modification of anesthetic drugs.
Avoid Histamine
A study conducted by Fred Friedburg, Lucy Dechene, Maggie McKenzie and Robert Fontanetta in 2000 found that nearly 90% of long-term Chronic Fatigue Syndrome & Myalgic Encephalomyelitis patients suffered from allergies. (1, 2) Histamines are part of the inflammatory immune response to infection, and are responsible for some of the weakness, exhaustion, and malaise experienced by normally healthy people when they become ill. As these are symptoms experienced by most ME/CFS patients, an increase in histamine levels will only make them feel worse. In fact, Lucy Dechene, Ph.D., has proposed that histamine overproduction can substantially contribute to the development of the ME/CFS's most significant effects. (3)
Because so many ME/CFS patients not only have allergies, but are sensitive to histamine itself, anesthesiologist Patrick L. Glass, MD of Reno, Nevada recommends against histamine-releasers. This group includes sodium pentothal, which is a thiobarbituate. In fact, Dr. Glass cautions against any drug in the thiobarbituate family, as they are all histamine-releasers. (These can be identified by the inclusion of "thio" - Thiamylal, Thiobarbital - in the name.)
Patients should also avoid muscle relaxants in the Curare family, such as Curare, Tracrium, and Mevacurium, which are also potent histamine-releasers.
For ME/CFS patients, Dr. Glass recommends Diprivan (propofol) as the induction agent, Versed (midazolam), fentanyl (a short-acting narcotic) and droperidol (an anti-nausea agent) during the anesthetic.
See the Rest of the Recommendations here - http://www.prohealth.com/me-cfs/me-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-anesthesia-recommendations.cfm
![ME/CFS lecture | Dr Nancy Klimas | 2011 [Chronic Fatigue Syndrome / SEID / New Zealand] - YouTube](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
