Dr. Farris agreed with the position of Emery N. Brown, MD, professor of anesthesiology at Harvard Medical School, that describing anesthesia as “putting someone to sleep” does a disservice to both patients and anesthesiologists. However, Dr. Farris said when he has described anesthesia as a “coma” to his patients, responses have “bordered on fear, sometimes with expressions suggesting they’d like another doctor.” He said reception is somewhat better with school-age children.
Read the New York Times letter from Dr. Farris.
Read more on anesthesia:
–First U.S. Death Row Inmate to Be Executed Solely With Anesthetic
–ASA President Dr. Mark Warner Discusses Evolution of Anesthesia Safety
–Montana Anesthesiologist Gets Three Years Probation for Prescription Fraud
