Question:
During rhinoplasty, is it possible for the patient to wake up? For some reason this terrifies me. What type of anesthesia would ensure that I didn’t wake up during the procedure?
Answer:
It is possible for patients to wake up under sedation anesthesia for rhinoplasty, but this is very unlikely. If the anesthesiologist sees the patient starting to wake up, the sedation medication is increased so the patient goes back to sleep. I do most rhinoplasty surgery in Philadelphia under general anesthesia and patients do not wake up during the surgery with this technique.