1990 Volume 51 Issue 7 Pages 1597-1600
Between April 1985 and October 1988, we performed operations for ten surgical patients with shizophrenia in five males and five females, aged 26 to 70 years (the mean of 45.4 years). These patients have been troubled with shizophrenia for 2 to 41 years with the mean of 18.4 years before operation. They had laparotomy in five, thoracotomy in one and some kinds of operation in four. Operation was performed under satisfactory general amesthesia maintained with enflurane, nitrous oxide and oxygen in nine patients except one.
All of them were given antipsychotic drugs until the day before operation, and early in the postoperative course, most of them received a resumption of these drugs. All patients were cared postoperatively in surgical ward and had uncomplicated courses. Pre and postoperative management was made satisfactorily by assistance of psychriatrists.
According to these experiences, it appears that pre and postoperative management for the patients withshizophrenia can be safely made if surgeons could be offered an appropriate assistance by psychiatrists.
