Selma H. Calmes MD, Retired Anesthesiologist Many polio patients fear anesthesia. Multiple surgeries in childhood were common for those who had polio and anesthesia care then was not as sophisticated as it is today. Modern anesthesia is much improved since the time of polio epidemics! In this session, an anesthesiologist familiar with modern anesthesia practice and polio will answer recent, …
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Anesthesia
Modern anesthesia has become extremely safe, but many survivors fear it because of reports of problems during and after anesthesia. Potential problems include a greater sensitivity to the paralyzing drugs (muscle relaxants), possible need for mechanical ventilation after surgery, and pain problems after surgery. All survivors, especially those with a history of respiratory involvement, need to tell their surgeon and …
Anesthesia and Weight Loss Surgery
What are the issues in bariatric (intestinal surgery that can facilitate weight loss) surgery for post-polio patients? This sounds like a “quick fix” for obesity but is an area full of possible problems. There are no reports of post-polio patients having bariatric surgery. Possible problems relate to the disease obesity (diabetes, presence of sleep apnea, presence of a fatty liver, …
What’s new in anesthesia that I need to know? This is a brief listing. Answers will be expanded as time allows in the session. a. Better measurement of quality of care in anesthesia and better recognition of where problems are and how they could be improved. b. Increasingly sophisticated knowledge of ventilation problems and better management of respiratory problems postop. …
Linking with an Anesthesiologist
Why is it so hard to link up ahead of time with the anesthesiologist who will do my case? Daily anesthesia staffing is a complex equation! It is extremely difficult to know ahead of time who will be doing which case on a particular day. There is a constant flux of anesthesia staff (people get sick), other needed staff such …
Anesthesia Update: Separating Fact from Fear (2009)
Selma Harrison Calmes MD, Retired Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology, UCLA School of Medicine INTRODUCTION: This talk * will briefly review the process of anesthesia care, current anesthesia practice, and how these might relate to post-polio syndrome (PPS) patients having surgery. The goal is to make clear that proper preop planning allows post-polio patients to have surgery and anesthesia with a …
Dental Care
A GUIDE FOR PEOPLE WITH POLIO OR POST POLIO SYNDROME (PPS) Introduction “Oh, I wish I’d looked after me teeth”, wrote Pam Ayres in her famous poem. Good oral health and hygiene are not just about being able to smile with confidence and eat well – they are important for your general health and well being, becoming even more so …
More on the Mayo Clinic Study of Anesthesia in Post-Polio Patients
Selma H. Calmes, MD, anesthesiologist (retired), Olive View/UCLA Medical Center, Sylmar, California A recent Post-Polio Health article reported on the first scientific study of polio patients having anesthesia for major surgery. (1) The study was done at the Mayo Clinic and compared each post-polio (PP) patient to two control patients of the same age with the same severity of preoperative illnesses and having similar …
What to do about a bursa?
In mid-August 2016, I bumped my right elbow on the bar of my wheelchair, and it hurt a lot for a few days. But it wasn’t till late September that I developed a bursa. The nurse practitioner at our doctor’s office drained it, but it filled back up. When I went there the following week she didn’t want to drain …
Anesthesia Specifics for PPS
Selma Calmes, MD, (ret) anesthesiologist 1. Post-polio patients are nearly always very sensitive to sedative meds, and emergence can be prolonged. This is probably due to central neuronal changes, especially in the Reticular Activating System, from the original disease. 2. Non-depolarizing muscle relaxants cause a greater degree of block for a longer period of time in post-polio patients. The current …