Patient's question:
Our family has a 5-year-old little boy. Since he was born, there has been a small thumb growing next to his right thumb. As he grew older, that small thumb also grew. Now that the child has started school and is gradually becoming more sensible, some children at school gather around him, asking how his hand is different from others'. Every day when he comes home from school, he cries and doesn't want to go back, saying the other kids will laugh at him. Whenever we hear this, we, as adults, feel deeply troubled but cannot show it in front of the child.We have also taken him to the hospital to consider amputation surgery for the small thumb. The doctor said it would require general anesthesia, and if he weren’t fully anesthetized, the child might suffer.
Doctor's answer:
General anesthesia inhibits the central nervous system to a degree that is related to the drug concentration in the blood and can be controlled and regulated. This inhibition is completely reversible. When the drug is metabolized or eliminated from the body, the patient's consciousness and various reflexes gradually return to normal. Therefore, under strict monitoring by the anesthesiologist, it is harmless to the body.