New research presented at this year’s Euroanaesthesia congress in Copenhagen, Denmark shows that hypnosedation is a valuable alternative to conventional general anesthesia.
Hypnosedation is a technique which combines hypnosis, conscious sedation (where drugs are used to make the patient comfortable and relaxed while remaining conscious), and local anesthesia to block pain. It has previously been shown to decrease the need for medication, reduce adverse effects, and to accelerate postoperative rehabilitation when compared to general anesthesia in which the patient is rendered unconscious.
This research team led by Dr Aurore Marcou and colleagues from the Institut Curie, Paris, France, say: “By minimizing effects of anesthesia on vital functions while preserving the patients’ well-being, it contributes to a sustainable development of anesthesia.”
The authors performed a retrospective study of 150 cancer patients who were treated at the Institut Curie between 2011 and 2017, and whose operations were performed under hypnosis. Procedures were conducted with the usual safety conditions and monitoring in place, however they excluded all premedication or hypnotic drugs. A continuous supply of the opioid remifentanil was given during each operation to keep the patients comfortable, and they were provided with the usual anti-sickness drugs and a painkiller as a preventative measure. Local or locoregional anesthesia was performed depending on the type and location of surgery, but the patient remained conscious throughout the procedure.