EFFECTS OF ANAESTHESIA AND SURGERY ON IMMUNE STATUS

The immunological implications of anaesthetic practice relateto the possibility that exposure to anaesthesia and surgery,by depressing a variety of both non-specific resistance mechanismsand specific immune responses, renders patients more liableto infections and the spread of malignancy in the period afteroperation. A review of the literature suggests that, althoughvarious anaesthetic agents themselves depress immune responses,the effects are shortlived and of minor importance when comparedwith the effects of the hormonal aspects of the stress response.A more aggressive approach to relief of pain and anxiety maybe beneficial from the immunological point of view.