Neurological examination in patients recovering from general anesthesia

Abstract

We performed serial neurological evaluations on 86 patients who underwent surgery for herniated lumbar disk during the first 3 hours after the end of anesthesia (isoflurane-N20-02 for 25 patients, halothane-N20-02 for 38, fentanyl-droperidol-N20-02 for 23). At time 0, the idiomuscular response to percussion of the extensor carpi muscle was present in every patient, while tendon reflexes were always absent. Hyperreflexia was as frequent as shivering, but it took place earlier; we could determine no correlation between these two phenomena. There was no correlation between shivering and rectal temperature of the patients. Although almost all the patients were cooperative and could correctly calculate 100-7, the post-hyperventilation-apnea test was positive in 35 patients at time 120 minutes: this suggests that many patients considered "awake" still exhibit neurological abnormalities, such as inadequate respiratory drive.