Women recover quicker from anaesthesia than men but experience more side effects

Postoperative recovery from anaesthesia is different between men and women. Myles et al (p 710) studied 463 adult patients undergoing elective inpatient surgery and found that, although women emerged from anaesthesia significantly more quickly than men, they experienced more nausea and vomiting, so their overall quality of recovery was worse. In addition, they had a 25% slower rate of return to their preoperative health status. The authors speculate that this is because sex hormones can cause functional changes in the receptor responsible for the action of most intravenous anaesthetic drugs.


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Relevant Article

Sex differences in speed of emergence and quality of recovery after anaesthesia: cohort study
Paul S Myles, Andrew D M McLeod, Jennifer O Hunt, and Helen Fletcher
BMJ 2001 322: 710-711. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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