Can anesthesia trigger delayed-onset posttraumatic stress disorder in veterans?
OBJECTIVE
The clinical presentation of a 60-year-old Vietnam veteran who developed delayed-onset posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after surgery is presented along with mechanisms for storing traumatic memory and a discussion of the potential contributions of anesthesia and aging to his clinical presentation.


CONCLUSIONS
Although additional research is needed to clarify the contributions of memory processes, anesthesia, and aging in delayed-onset PTSD, prudent clinicians will be cognizant of a potential correlation and screen patients appropriately.


CONCLUSIONS
A thorough surgical and anesthetic exposure history should be explored in presentations of delayed-onset posttraumatic disorder symptomatology. Additionally, clinicians working with trauma patients who anticipate surgery are uniquely positioned to serve as a liaison between the patient, surgeon, and anesthetist, thereby decreasing the potential for delayed-onset PTSD.
School of Nursing, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA. bergerk@mailbox.sc.edu
Kathrene Carter
KC
Berger
Kathleen
K
Scharer
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000768:Anesthesia, General / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015985:Precipitating Factors; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000209:etiology*; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*