I had a TVT (a mesh that was pulled around the bladder to stop me from leaking) operation on my bladder and the operation went well. I wasn`t given a full blown anesthetic, but was given something else plus sedation as they needed me to cough during the operation. I came to about half an hour after the operation and was very cold and shivering. I was taken back to the ward had a rest and needed to have a wee but every timeﾠI got upﾠI felt awful and light headed all the time. About the 3rd timeﾠI needed to go again felt the same but this time everything started going black around me the nurse came in saidﾠI looked very grey and said my blood pressure was dropping. Nothing was done, the nurse sat beside meﾠI guess to see if it would come back up and it did. I was very scared and wanted to know if you knew why this would have happened and is it life threatening? I am 30 years old 9 stone 6lbs and do generally eat well. SometimesﾠI do have low blood pressure. I am due to have a tummy tuck soon asﾠI have sagging skin after giving birth to my 3rd child. Very worried that the blood pressure thing will happen again. 

This sounds like a typical faint, or what's known as vasovagal syncope. Your heart rate slows, your blood pressure drops, your skin becomes ashen and clammy, you sweat and then you may pass out. It's not fun but it's not fatal. Putting your head down helps, and the episode resolves in a minute or two. In severe cases, with a doctor around, and an IV in place you might be given a little medication to speed the heart back up again, but that's not usually necessary. The "vagal" in vasovagal refers to the vagus nerve, part of the autonomic nervous system that controls your heart. Some individuals, especially the young, are predisposed to these kinds of episodes - they have high vagal tone. They are also sometimes triggered by pain (e.g. needles)or emotion. Low blood pressure could also make you more likely to have syncope, combined with being starved - presumably you did not having anything to eat or drink on the day of surgery. As always, consult with your doctor to make sure that you did not experience something more unusual and problematic such as a heart arrhythmia, hypovolemia, hypoglycemia, etc. 

My husband had whipple surgery on December 15, 2006. His blood pressure was low and came back up. Now in regular room he is having bouts of low blood pressure which in turn they can not give him his lasix. Any help or info would be greatly appreciated. 

Low blood pressure has many possible causes, which should be investigated and treated by your husband's doctors. Ten days after his surgical procedure his problems are unlikely to have anything to do with the anesthesia he received. 

My 75 year old father had double knee replacement surgery yesterday 1/4/06. His blood pressure never reached a level for him to leave recovery. He went straight to ICU. On 1/5/06 a.m., he received two pints of blood. His blood count had dropped below 30.0. His pressure has not changed much, 84/42....the top number has gone up some and then down but the bottom number really hasn`t changed. What are the reprocussions of a sustained low low blood pressure? Is there anything that should be happening here? 

A blood pressure of 85/42 is definitely on the low side for a 75 year old man. There is a wide variation in what is considered normal so one would want to know what his BP usually runs at. The most reliable number as far as blood pressure is concerned is the "mean" BP. A mean BP of at least 50 to 60 millimeters of mercury is what we generally aim for, usually a bit higher to be on the safe side. The causes of low BP are many. There are general categories. There may be not enough circulating blood (e.g. bleeding). The heart may not be pumping adequately (heart attack, heart valve problems, abnormal heart rhythm or rate, the effects of drugs). The blood vessels that hold blood may be open too much ("vasodilation)(allergic reactions, infection, drugs). One cause of vasodilation is epidural anesthesia, which your father may have received for his double knee replacement. However the BP-lowering effects of epidural anesthesia are terminated after a few hours. When the blood pressure is low the "vital" organs (heart, brain, kidneys) may not receive enough oxygen. The function of the vital organs decreases. If the ischemia continues long enough the damage may be permanent (heart attack, stroke, kidney failure). Low blood pressure should be treated promptly while a search is undertaken for the cause. Supportive treatment includes oxygen, intravenous fluids or blood, and drugs which increase the pressure by acting on blood vessels or making the heart beat more strongly. 

I recently went under general anesthesia for a bronchoscopy, but my heart rate increased, as well as my blood pressure and I had to be taken out of the anesthesia before the procedure could be done. Is this a common reaction? What could have caused this? 

An increase in blood pressure and heart rate is common - normal, in fact - during the most stimulating parts of a surgical procedure. During a bronchoscopy, the heart rate and blood pressure will go up when the trachea (windpipe) is intubated (breathing tube insertion), and during insertion and manipulation of the bronchoscope. If the heart rate and blood pressure increase excessively this may pose a danger, particularly to the heart and to the brain and lead to cancellation of the planned procedure. Usually, the reaction can be controlled with anesthesia and with other drugs that slow the heart and decrease the blood pressure. 

If the increase in heart rate and blood pressure is so dramatic that it cannot be controlled in the usual manner, this suggests either that you have the condition of high blood pressure (hypertension) and that it is untreated - perhaps even undiagnosed until now - or that it is diagnosed but not properly treated. 

The causes for high blood pressure are many, but the most common is essential hypertension which is just a fancy term for high blood pressure that is not caused by any other specific condition like endocrine (glandular) disorders or kidney disease. If you have hypertension you should be fully evaluated by your primary care doctor, including assessment for heart, kidney or blood vessel damage, and appropriate treatment with lifestyle change, and medicine. 

I just had a hysterectomy. After surgery my pressure was very low. It was staying somewhere around 80something over 30something to 40something. My heart rate was high as well. The anesthesiologist kept giving me shots of neosynephrine, but all it did was increase my heart rate and did nothing for my pressure. I was in recovery dealing with this for about 6 hours. They pumped me up with fluids til the whites of my eyes were actually floating over my eyeballs! I have been told that this is fairly normal and no big deal. I was petrified. Is this really normal? I`ve had general before and never experienced this. What can I do to ensure this doesn`t happen again? I`m afraid that if I ever need surgery again, I`ll totally panic over the possibility of going through this again. Thank you for any info. 

A blood pressure of 80/40 is definitely at the low end of what is considered normal, however some individuals have blood pressure close to these values and are perfectly healthy. If your heart rate was high it does suggest that something out of the usual was going on. There are many possible causes of low blood pressure after surgery. The most important ones include loss of blood, dehydration, heart problems, severe allergic reactions, the prolonged effect of anesthetic or pain medications, and acute infection. The usual treatment of low blood pressure is to give intravenous fluids, oxygen, and medications that increase blood pressure. A commonly used medication to treat low blood pressure is phenylephrine, also known in the US as Neosynephrine. Neosynephrine does not usually increase the heart rate, in fact the opposite. You did not mention whether you had a general anesthetic or a spinal or epidural. Low blood pressure is a pretty common side effect of epidural and spinal anesthesia. Your experience can hardly be considered "normal". However it is impossible to know exactly what happened based on the information you supplied. You may wantﾠto explain your concern to surgeon and ask him or her to help you speak to the anesthesiologist, or at least someone from the anesthesiology department at the hospital. That doctor will be able to review the anesthetic record and the other medical records to help identify what happened and help you understand what happened, as well as to set your mind at ease about any future operations. Keep in mind that under US law you have the right to see your medical records, and you might even want to get a copy of them to show the anesthesiologist in case of any future hospitalizations. 

I read that it is wise to stop taking herbal medicines several weeks before an operation because of a reaction with the anesthesia. My sister had a hysterectomy 7 weeks ago and has been having many problems since with a rapid heartbeat and high blood pressure. Could this be the result of the herbs she was taking before the operation? Is her problem common? 

ﾠIn 1997, U.S. adults spent more than $3.5 billion on herbal products and billions more on vitamins, minerals and other dietary supplements. The American Society of Anesthesiologists has issued a special warning to the public and the profession advising that many of these products may cause unexpected reactions with anesthesia. The extent of the problem is unknown but research is underway. It`s certainly possible that the problems your sister is experiencing could be related to herbal medicines. However, most anesthesia medicines are cleared from the body within 24 to 48 hours, and at 7 weeks there should be no trace of them. Your sister should consult her physician about the potentially serious symptoms you have described.