Low blood pressure after spinal surgery


Complicated rehabilitation period: causes and dangers of low blood pressure after surgery

One of the most important indicators of the general condition of the body is blood pressure. Its boundaries have long been specified; indicators of 120/80 are considered normal.

But this is not an ideal at all; doctors have another definition; for them, the optimal pressure is that at which a person feels healthy.

And here the range of numbers is completely different - 100-140/60-90. All other indicators, no matter which way they go - down or up, are considered a deviation from the norm, a characteristic sign of hypertension or hypotension.

The difference between systolic pressure (first number) and diastolic pressure (second number) should ideally be 50-60 units. If this interval is more or less than specified, the person does not feel too good. During any surgical interventions, even the most minor ones, doctors always pay great attention to the patient’s blood pressure.

Often you even have to wait out an unfavorable period in the patient’s condition. When you have low (high) blood pressure and surgery cannot be avoided, you should take this extremely seriously. You will need to carefully follow all doctor's orders to eliminate signs of hypertension and hypotension.

What are the dangers of surgery for low blood pressure?

Everyone knows that hypertension is very life-threatening. But low blood pressure is also associated with a certain amount of risk, especially when it comes to surgical interventions. If the patient has hypotension during the operation and for some time after it, death is possible.

These fears are supported by statistical data. Thus, over 252 thousand patients in need of surgical operations were under the supervision of doctors for a long time.

The determining factors during the examination of the patient were:

  • health problems;
  • floor;
  • nationality;
  • taking medications;
  • objective risks during and after surgery;
  • patient pressure.

It turned out that patients with low systolic pressure (less than 100 mm H.S.) were 40% more likely to die on the operating table or immediately after surgery. The situation was even worse for those whose lower indicator was less than 40 mm.r.s. – their risk of death increased two and a half times.

The presented statistical data allowed us to conclude that the attention of surgeons preparing patients with low blood pressure for operations cannot be called sufficient. The number of deaths convincingly proves this.

But a clear verdict has not yet been made.

Scientists have yet to find out whether taking medications that increase blood pressure will be an effective means for successful operations and a stable rehabilitation period.

What is the danger of increased blood pressure during surgery?

In rare cases of hypertension, blood pressure remains high even despite the effect of anesthesia. This phenomenon is dangerous and requires monitoring the patient's condition during the operation.

Increased pressure during local anesthesia or general anesthesia can cause large blood loss, which is due to high vascular tone.

There are a number of risks when administering strong anesthesia to hypertensive patients. These include:

  • cerebral hemorrhages during surgery;
  • disturbance of heart rhythm in response to anesthesia;
  • heart failure;
  • hypertensive crisis after cessation of anesthesia.

Adequate treatment of hypertension before surgery helps prevent dangerous complications. Usually the operating doctor, knowing about the patient’s high blood pressure, gives a number of recommendations some time before the operation. This allows you to minimize the negative effects of anesthesia.

Pressure during anesthesia

High blood pressure during surgery can cause bleeding

Low blood pressure after surgery: some nuances

When hypotension is observed, the following processes can occur in the human body:

  • hearing loss;
  • vision problems;
  • memory impairment;
  • renal failure;
  • loss of consciousness;
  • falling into a coma.

Hypotonic people, without any device, only based on monitoring their own well-being, can accurately determine that their blood pressure has become even lower.

As a rule, hypotensive people feel:

And these three symptoms are a reason to immediately consult a doctor. Hypotension often appears after surgery, during the rehabilitation period.

If the patient is already at home, he needs to pay close attention to his lifestyle and diet. The rules are simple and clear, but they must be followed strictly and methodically.

So, let’s bring our own diet back to normal, for this it is enough:

  • maintain proper drinking regimen (8-12 glasses of water per day);
  • for snacks between meals, eat only vegetables or fruits;
  • eat small portions (6-8 times a day);
  • increase the amount of fatty foods;
  • consume more complex carbohydrates;
  • increase the amount of sugar.

Fish, caviar, eggs, fatty meats, and butter are healthy.

It remains to find out which foods contain complex carbohydrates; their list is very impressive; here are the most common and accessible ones:

  1. Brown rice;
  2. oatmeal;
  3. Rye bread;
  4. potato;
  5. peas;
  6. liver;
  7. beef heart;
  8. all kinds of nuts;
  9. greenery;
  10. beet;
  11. black currant;
  12. gooseberry;
  13. watermelons;
  14. melons;
  15. carrot.

How to prepare for surgery to reduce the risk of pressure surge after anesthesia

Each surgical intervention places a great burden on the human body. The pressure after anesthesia, which is administered to relieve pain during surgery, can either decrease or increase.

This is very dangerous, as such a situation can be fatal.

Therefore, if the patient has a history of hypertension or hypotension, it is necessary to carry out preventive preparation to avoid complications.

Anesthesia and blood pressure

After the administration of anesthesia, the patient falls into deep sleep. In this case, all internal anatomical processes slow down, including the heart rate.

At the same time, a person under anesthesia has a decrease in blood pressure and a pulse that is difficult to palpate. All these phenomena are caused by the action of the anesthetic drug.

After a person awakens, the heart rate is still reduced, but gradually returns to normal.

With hypertension, things are somewhat different. In the chronic form of the disease, blood vessels lose their elasticity and their walls become weak.

During sleep anesthesia, a greater load is placed on the heart muscle and weakened blood vessels, resulting in an increase in blood pressure.

Most often, the indicators change by 10-20 units, but a more significant increase is possible. This depends primarily on the individual characteristics of the organism.

Causes and dangers of pressure surges during anesthesia

First of all, it is worth finding out why pressure surges occur during surgery. The root cause is shock, it is divided into several types:

  1. Cardiogenic – occurs due to improper contraction of the heart muscles, resulting in hypoxia and decreased blood pressure.
  2. Hemorrhagic - appears due to large blood loss. Most often it manifests itself in low blood pressure, general weakness and poor skin.
  3. Obstructive – occurs due to decreased blood flow to the heart as a result of a physical obstruction.
  4. Septic – occurs due to blood contamination with various infections. In this case, high blood pressure and rapid heartbeat appear.

As mentioned above, the cause of low blood pressure during surgery is the effect of an anesthetic drug, which slows down all processes in the body. After some time, the pressure returns to normal. However, severe pressure changes can lead to serious complications.

Pressure after anesthesia may occur due to improper contraction of the heart muscles.

Risks with low blood pressure:

  • disturbances in brain function;
  • renal failure;
  • hypovolemic shock;
  • heart failure.

Risks with high blood pressure:

  • cerebral hemorrhage;
  • severe bleeding, resulting in large blood loss;
  • severe heart failure;
  • increased sensitivity to anesthetic drugs.

Hypertension and anesthesia

Pressure surges are also dangerous in everyday life. However, during anesthesia they can become a serious problem. Experts are trying to take timely measures to eliminate this problem. If nothing is done, severe bleeding will begin due to the strong tone of the vessel walls. In addition, other pathologies mentioned above may also occur.

In cases where blood pressure rises too high after the patient recovers from anesthesia, a hypertensive attack may occur and develop, which can develop into a complicated form.

At the same time, experts note that for people with a history of cardiovascular pathologies, not only general anesthesia, but also local anesthesia is dangerous. Their action is almost identical, but if the dosage is calculated incorrectly, various complications can arise.

Hypotension and anesthesia

With hypotension (chronic low blood pressure), anesthesia is as dangerous as with hypertension. This is due to a depleted vascular system and heart muscles. If a person is healthy and does not have diseases of the cardiovascular system, the decrease in pressure occurs by only a few units, which does not pose a danger to the general condition.

With chronic hypotension, pressure levels can drop to critical levels, which are incompatible with life. In order to avoid such manifestations, the anesthesiologist must carefully study the patient’s medical history and consider all the specified points in the anamnesis. This will help not only to choose the right drug, but also to correctly calculate the dosage.

A similar reaction to anesthesia does not occur in every patient with hypotension; this is an individual manifestation of the disease. Most often, surgery takes place without complications, after which the person recovers quickly.

Features of blood pressure deviation after anesthesia

It is worth mentioning the stages of anesthetic sleep. There are only 4 of them:

  1. Analgesia. Heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure remain virtually unchanged. The patient's consciousness is not completely lost, sensitivity is reduced.
  2. Excitation. Breathing and pulse are increased, blood pressure is increased. There is a complete loss of consciousness.
  3. Anesthesia. Heart rate and breathing are reduced, blood pressure is low. There is no consciousness.
  4. Awakening. Initially, heart rate, breathing rate and blood pressure are reduced. Gradually they return to normal. The recovery time from anesthesia is individual.

Many people are interested in why general anesthesia is prescribed if there are a large number of side effects when it is administered. Experts answer that the criteria for choosing general anesthesia are:

  • duration of the operation;
  • risk of major blood loss;
  • individual indicators of the patient’s well-being.

When choosing anesthesia, the duration of the operation is taken into account

After waking up, many patients complain of the following unpleasant symptoms:

  • difficulty urinating;
  • pain in the arm due to a bruise resulting from the installation of an IV during surgery;
  • nausea, in some cases – vomiting;
  • feeling of cold, trembling in the body, for some time - inability to warm up;
  • sore throat (if a breathing tube was installed during surgery);
  • absence of a feeling of pain due to the constant administration of an anesthetic drug at first.

Elderly people have a particularly difficult time with anesthesia. They are more at risk of various negative consequences. These include:

  • heart attack;
  • stroke;
  • temporary amnesia;
  • pneumonia.

Also, the effects of anesthesia are divided into early and late. Early consequences are visible immediately and occur in the patient without leaving anesthesia (cerebral coma).

Late consequences can appear either after a few days or after several months.

  • apnea – a sudden cessation of breathing during sleep for a short period of time;
  • severe headaches, which are not always controlled by analgesic drugs. Often, to solve a problem, specialists prescribe narcotic drugs;
  • increased blood pressure;
  • the appearance of panic attacks, sudden fears that interfere with normal life. Often a person at such moments does not know how to behave and what to do;
  • frequent dizziness that does not go away for a long time (up to several days);
  • cramps of legs, legs, causing severe suffering to a person;
  • disruptions in the functioning of the cardiovascular system, heart rate increases, blood pressure rises;
  • a large load on the liver and kidneys, that is, on the organs responsible for cleansing the body. Even when choosing the “safest” painkiller, a fairly large amount is required, which does not have a very good effect on the body’s condition;
  • burning sensation in arms and legs;
  • in some cases, alcoholism develops.

Methods of therapy

To prevent pressure surges during and after the administration of anesthesia, it is necessary to carry out preventive measures.

Preoperative preparation

To normalize high blood pressure, chemicals are most often used.

But it is more important to take preventive measures on a regular basis. Preventing high blood pressure can be done using conservative methods prescribed by the attending physician. The main methods include:

  1. Stop smoking. Quitting smoking completely will have a positive effect on your blood pressure within a couple of months.
  2. Normalization of the patient's weight. This recommendation is given to patients whose BMI is equal to or greater than 25 kg/m2, as well as with a waist circumference of more than 102 cm in men and more than 88 cm in women. Thus, losing weight will have a beneficial effect on the state of the cardiovascular system.
  3. Reducing alcohol consumption or giving it up completely. Reducing the consumption of alcoholic beverages to less than 50 ml per day has a beneficial effect on the condition of blood vessels and blood pressure. Exceeding this norm leads to increased blood pressure in almost 99% of cases.
  4. Active lifestyle. With normal activity, blood circulation improves, thus preventing pressure surges.
  5. Reducing salt intake. When consuming more than 4-5g of salt per day, blood pressure increases. Therefore, it is necessary to control this and reduce its consumption to a minimum.
  6. Proper nutrition. It implies a rational, nutritious and varied diet, which should include vegetables, fruits, meat, fish (at least 2 times a week), grains and dairy products.

Quitting smoking will help normalize blood pressure

These methods will help stabilize blood pressure and prevent surges. Also, before surgery, drug therapy may be indicated, which is prescribed by the attending physician after examination.

Postoperative therapy

If the patient’s blood pressure after recovering from anesthesia is excessively high and does not decrease for a long time, the doctor decides to administer antihypertensive therapy. Most often, it is possible to normalize the condition with intravenous or intramuscular administration of the drug Magnesia. Next, the patient's condition is monitored.

If no visible therapeutic effect is observed, stronger drugs are used. It is also recommended for hypertensive patients after surgery:

  1. Maintain bed rest until complete recovery.
  2. Avoid various stresses and psycho-emotional tensions.
  3. Eliminate unhealthy foods from your menu (salty, smoked, fatty, spicy, etc.), which lead to pressure surges.
  4. Follow the diet prescribed by your doctor.
  5. Do not independently cancel, take, or change the dosage of medications prescribed by your doctor.

Hypotension after surgery is most often temporary. Any surgical intervention is a difficult test for the human body.

But if such a condition drags on, then it is necessary to prescribe medications.

  • sedatives;
  • antiarrhythmic drugs;
  • beta blockers;
  • cardiac glycosides.

The nuances of the effects of anesthesia on a child’s body

If for adults anesthesia is a rather difficult test, then for a child’s body it is much more difficult.

Parents are mostly confident that anesthesia is harmful for the child, and their main fear is that he will not be able to wake up after the operation. However, such cases are very rare and most often death occurs as a result of the surgical intervention itself or various complications.

For children, it is recommended to pre-administer medications such as Promedol, Pipolfen or Atropine. They not only enhance the effect of anesthesia, but also help eliminate the side effects of anesthesia.

The anesthesia procedure for children is carried out using a special mask or breathing tube. The little patient’s respiratory system receives not only oxygen, but also anesthesia. In some cases, anesthesia is additionally administered intravenously.

Due to the anatomical features of the growing body, anesthesia has a slightly different effect on a child. But at the same time, means are used that are permitted in children's practice. This minimizes the risk of side effects.

Source: //health-post.ru/davlenie-posle-narkoza-01/

Hypotension and bad habits of the patient


An unhealthy lifestyle also greatly affects the decrease in blood pressure after surgery.
If you have hypotension, it is recommended to exercise; this always leads to an improvement in your well-being, but a set of physical exercises should be prescribed to you by your attending physician.

You should not make sudden movements, turns, or tilt your head; fast walking and running are contraindicated; all this must be taken into account. Bad habits - drinking alcohol and smoking should be left in the past .

Do not forget that alcohol interacts chemically with many medications and can cause irreparable harm to the body. Alcohol, like caffeine, causes dehydration, which leads to a further decrease in blood pressure.

Stress is one of the main causes of blood pressure problems

Stress and excessive nervousness are also extremely undesirable phenomena with hypotension. Try to treat all negative incidents in your life with a certain amount of complacency and some detachment. This will keep the nervous system calm.

Proper rest and relaxation also helps bring low blood pressure back to normal. Sometimes patients want to sleep all the time. There is nothing wrong with this, which means you just need to increase your sleep period. In hypotensive patients it ranges from 10 to 12 hours and this is considered normal.

What are the reasons for hypotension during and after surgery?


Most patients who had normal blood pressure before surgery are extremely surprised that after surgery their usual levels decrease significantly.
Meanwhile, doctors are well aware of what causes this problem.

Most often, hypotension after surgery is temporary, and its occurrence depends on many reasons, which include hypovolemic, cardiogenic, septic shock, or a reaction to pain relief. Any operation, even the simplest and shortest, is a difficult test for our body.

When it comes to complex and urgent interventions, for example, with injuries, the patient experiences hypovolemic shock during major blood loss. His blood flows rapidly and in spurts from his veins. At the same time, the pressure drops, the pulse rate increases, and urine output is reduced.

Most often, this condition is observed during heart attacks.

Septic shock is caused by an infection that affects the patient's body. As a result of its action, dilation of the arteries and a decrease in blood pressure are observed. All this is accompanied by fever and rapid heartbeat.

Video on the topic

About methods of treating hypotension in the video:

Monitoring blood pressure is one of the most important commandments of a doctor during surgery; after surgery, the patient must independently monitor the condition of his body, immediately informing the doctor about the appearance of unwanted symptoms.

The information on the MyMedNews.ru website is for reference and general information, collected from publicly available sources and cannot serve as a basis for making a decision on the use of medications in the course of treatment.

MyMedNews.ru

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What Causes Low Blood Pressure After Surgery? 2020 – Healthy pasty

The first few hours after surgery are a critical period of time. As a person begins to recover from anesthesia and surgery, changes in blood pressure are common. Blood pressure is the external force exerted by the blood on the walls of blood vessels and may be higher or lower than normal. In the early postoperative period, blood pressure is measured at frequent intervals to quickly detect changes and, if necessary, initiate appropriate treatment. Low blood pressure has 3 main causes: reduced blood volume, heart problems and dilated blood vessels.

Decreased blood volume

A decrease in the amount of blood in the body, called hypovolemia, is one of the most common causes of low blood pressure after surgery. Sometimes this occurs due to excessive bleeding during surgery. The amount of bleeding is usually small during minor surgery, but it can be extensive during major surgery. Bleeding may also continue after surgery, although the amount is usually small even after major surgery. Large amounts of postoperative bleeding can be life-threatening and may require immediate additional surgery.

Even if the surgery does not cause excessive bleeding, blood volume may decrease due to evaporation. During the operation, water evaporates from the surface of the tissue in the operating area. This loss of fluid leads to a decrease in plasma, the liquid part of the blood in which blood cells are suspended. The larger the incision, the larger the area being worked on and the greater the amount of fluid lost in this way. Low blood pressure caused by hypovolemia is usually treated with fluids or blood given through a tube into a vein.

Heart problems

When the heart cannot pump enough blood to the rest of the body, blood pressure will drop. This sometimes happens because the heart rate is too slow. Slow speed can be caused by certain medications, such as beta blockers, which are used for heart disease or high blood pressure. Some anesthetics and pain relievers can also cause a slow heart rate. A number of medical conditions can also slow your heart rate, such as previous heart disease, changes in certain electrolyte levels in the blood, and low oxygen levels in the body.

Low blood pressure can also occur because the heart muscle is weakened and cannot pump effectively. Myocardial infarction, in which an area of ​​the heart muscle dies due to inadequate blood supply, is one of the most common causes of weakened heart muscle. In some people, poor heart muscle function occurs for the first time during or after surgery. In other cases, the heart muscle is weak due to pre-existing heart disease, and the stress of surgery can further reduce its ability to pump blood.

After the operation, my blood pressure dropped. Why a person’s blood pressure drops: possible causes and consequences

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    Dialyzed blood vessels

    When blood vessels dilate to become unusually wide—called dilated blood vessels or vasodilators—the pressure on the vessel wall is reduced, causing low blood pressure. Vasodilation can be produced by a number of drugs, especially those used to treat heart disease or high blood pressure. It may also be a sign of a serious allergic reaction, which can occur if you are exposed to any medication or other substance during surgery. Spinal or epidural anesthesia causes vasodilation in the lower body. This can lead to low blood pressure after surgery until the anesthesia wears off.

    Any increase in body temperature will cause the blood vessels in the body to dilate, which can lower blood pressure. With sepsis comes life-threatening low blood pressure. In this condition, a severe infection enters the bloodstream and causes inflammation throughout the body. Although extremely rare after minor surgery, sepsis can occur after major surgery, especially when infection is present in the area being operated on or the person has a compromised immune system, as can happen with HIV or chemotherapy for cancer.

    Additional Considerations

    With minor surgery, low blood pressure will most likely occur in the first couple of hours after surgery. During this time, you will likely be cared for in the post-anesthesia department, where appropriate treatment will be quickly administered. You will not be allowed to return home until your blood pressure is back to normal and you can move without feeling dizzy or dizzy. If you've had major surgery, your low blood pressure may linger for a couple of days or longer.

    Whether you are still in the hospital or have traveled home, tell your healthcare provider immediately if you notice excessive bleeding, shortness of breath, chest pain, fever, severe weakness, decreased urination, dizziness or dizziness, or confusion , as this may indicate low blood pressure.

    Low blood pressure after surgery

    For most people, normal blood pressure is around 120/80mmHg. Everything below 90/60mm RT. Art., is considered low, and can be a problem. Low blood pressure is usually expected in patients after surgery. Blood pressure can drop during or after surgery for a variety of reasons, and in most cases, this is a temporary problem that will not cause any problems. However, it requires very careful monitoring, since elevated or very low blood pressure can lead to decreased oxygen supply, which can lead to heart and brain problems.

    Most patients who undergo surgery will experience a decrease in blood pressure. This often occurs due to blood loss or prolonged exposure to anesthesia. It can also be caused by an allergic reaction, dehydration, heart problems, and even infections in the body. The four most common reasons are listed below.

    Why does blood pressure change after anesthesia?

    Normally, blood pressure is always low after general anesthesia. This is due to the principle of action of drugs used for pain relief. They inhibit the activity of the nervous system, as a result, all processes in the body slow down. Since the nervous system needs time to recover, on the first day after general anesthesia, loss of strength and dizziness are possible, caused by a decrease in blood pressure. compared to normal levels for humans.

    High blood pressure after anesthesia is a problem for hypertensive patients. This is explained by the following mechanisms occurring in the body.

    Long-term hypertension leads to impaired elasticity of blood vessels. They lose flexibility and can no longer quickly respond to changing internal and external conditions. Due to loss of elasticity, changes in vascular tone occur slowly and are usually always elevated, which is explained by the peculiarities of the cardiovascular system.

    In hypertensive patients, vascular elasticity is insufficient for an adequate response

    When anesthesia is administered, all processes in the body slow down. The absence of pain is explained by the effect on the nervous system, which inhibits the functioning of certain receptors. At this time, for every person, including hypertensive patients, all processes occurring in the body, including blood pressure, heartbeat and breathing, slow down.

    After the anesthesia ceases to act, vascular tone rapidly increases, that is, it returns to the normal state characteristic of hypertension. Due to the prolonged decrease in vascular tone during the action of anesthesia, too rigid walls experience even greater stress, so the pressure increases.

    Normally, blood pressure is always low after general anesthesia. This is due to the principle of action of drugs used for pain relief. They inhibit the activity of the nervous system, as a result, all processes in the body slow down. Since the nervous system needs time to recover, on the first day after general anesthesia, loss of strength and dizziness are possible, caused by a decrease in pressure by 15-20 mmHg. compared to normal levels for humans.

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