Rankin Marlene, Carretta Carrie, Jaroszynski Anna
Rutgers College of Nursing, 180 University Ave, Newark, NJ 07102, USA.
Plast Surg Nurs. 2008 Jan-Mar;28(1):35-40. doi: 10.1097/01.PSN.0000313946.90152.e9.
Anesthesia awareness can cause adverse psychological symptoms in patients after surgery. Although rare, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been documented in surgical patients who have a history of previous trauma or maladaptive coping patterns. Plastic surgical nurses should assess all patients for anesthesia awareness postoperatively, recognize the diagnostic criteria of PTSD, and offer support of psychiatric referrals if indicated.