Dreams, images and emotions associated with propofol anaesthesia

Authors: Brandner B.^{1, *}; Blagrove M.²; McCallum G.¹; Bromley L.M.¹

Source: Anaesthesia, Volume 52, Number 8, July 1997 , pp. 750-755(6)

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Abstract:

One hundred and twelve patients scheduled for day case varicose vein surgery were randomly allocated to one of three groups: total intravenous anaesthesia with propofol, propofol induction followed by inhalational anaesthesia with nitrous oxide and isoflurane or thiopentone induction followed by inhalational anaesthesia with nitrous oxide and isoflurane. Assessments were made in the recovery room of the incidence of dreaming, the content of the dreams and the emotional status of the patients. The groups differed significantly in reporting that they had been dreaming: patients who underwent total intravenous anaesthesia reported the most dreaming and patients who received thiopentone the least. However, despite the large number of case reports of sexual imagery following propofol anaesthesia and despite the two groups who had received propofol experiencing significantly greater happiness upon recovery than the thiopentone group, there were no appreciable differences in the sexual content of the dreams. Each group had only a small number of dreams even remotely related to sex.

Keywords: Anaesthetics, intravenous; propofol; Complications; dreams, emotions

Language: English

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: 1: Academic Department of Anaesthetics, University College London School of Medicine, Room 103, The Middlesex Hospital, Mortimer Street, London W1N 8AA, UK 2: Department of Psychology, Singleton Park, University of Wales, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK

Publication date: 1997-07-01