title: Posttraumatic stress disorder: a special case of emergence delirium and anesthetic alternatives.
abstract: Two anesthesia cases are presented involving patients with a history of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The first patient experienced a prolonged dangerous flashback during emergence. In the second patient, after a thorough review of PTSD and the anesthesia literature, emergence was uneventful. A history of PTSD should be considered a risk factor in the assessment of every patient and anesthetic management designed to best avoid serious and potentially harmful reactions.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Anesthesiology, South Nassau Communities Hospital, Oceanside, New York.
authors.forename: Steven M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Shoum