MSA highlights warning during Patient Safety Awareness Week
LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Society of Anesthesiologists (MSA) is reminding patients of the importance of talking to their anesthesiologist about all their medications before a surgery or procedure, during Patient Safety Awareness Week, March 10-16, 2024.
As more people are prescribed drugs for weight loss and Type 2 diabetes, such as Wegovy and Ozempic, reports from anesthesiologists have surfaced of patients who inhaled food and liquid into their airways while under anesthesia or deep sedation. These medications slow digestion, which means patients who have fasted prior to their procedure may still have full stomachs, which can lead to complications. Research is needed to study this issue, but patients and families have concerns.
“Pulmonary aspiration — or breathing stomach acid and food into your lungs while unconscious — is a serious complication leading to lung damage and infections,” said MSA past president Dr. Neeju Ravikant. It is important that patients tell their anesthesiologist all the medications they are taking before surgery so that physicians can make a plan before patients go under any type of anesthesia or sedation. Anesthesiologists are the medical experts who keep patients safe at every stage before, during and after surgery. The decisions we make before patients receive anesthetics are as critical as the ones we make during and after.”
Anesthesiologists must use their medical judgment, incorporating several variables in a patient’s medical history and the procedure or surgery to be performed, to establish an individualized anesthesia or sedation plan.
“While there needs to be additional research on how prescription drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic affect patients during surgery, it’s something anesthesiologists need to be aware of and prepare for, especially given the prevalence of these types of medications,” Ravikant said. “Our top priority is patient safety, and this is one of the myriad factors we take into consideration as we care for our patients.”
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