EFFECTS OF ANAESTHESIA AND SURGERY ON IMMUNE STATUS

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Abstract
The immunological implications of anesthetic practice relate to the possibility that exposure to anesthesia and surgery, by depressing a variety of non-specific resistance mechanisms and specific immune responses, renders patients more liable to infections and the spread of malignancy in the period after operation. Although various anesthetic agents depress immune responses, the effects may be short-lived and of minor importance when compared with the effects of the hormonal aspects of the stress response. A more aggressive approach to relief of pain and anxiety may be beneficial from the immunological point of view.