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This is wild. He had some very good ideas and a bad one.
This practice of nitrous oxide only anaesthesia came under scrutiny following a series of well publicised events
McKesson noted the cyanosis secondary to the hypoxia induced by his anaesthesia technique. He chose to monitor the respiratory rate, blood pressure, eye signs and muscle movement to determine when supplemental oxygen may be applied. He believed that monitoring rhythmic deep breathing (which he presumed would reflect adequate brain oxygenation) and blood pressure would guard against stroke or other consequences from such little oxygen during his cases.
So was hypoxic brain injury and admission to mental asylums one possible legacy of McKesson’s Secondary Saturation? Yes, according to Edmond ‘Ted’ Eger II (1930-2017) who recalled one urban
legend suggesting that
litfl.com
I like the plain language in these newspaper articles. Maybe anesthesia was actually to blame 🫤
“Controversies
In a period where ether and nitrous were used in combination to induce anaesthesia. However McKesson strongly advocated for the use of nitrous oxide only anaesthesia devised by dentist Gardner Quincy Colton (1814-1898) who pioneered the practice of primary saturation with nitrous oxide in anaesthesia.This practice of nitrous oxide only anaesthesia came under scrutiny following a series of well publicised events
- 1879 – a young Swedish woman, Ms Hannah Deal, was rendered a ‘raving maniac’ after undergoing a dental procedure under nitrous oxide. Likely secondary to hypoxic brain injury.
- 1887 – formal alerts were issued in the US and Great Britain about the risk for insanity from nitrous-oxide anaesthetics
- 1892 – Miss Lizzie Lots was rendered ‘insane’ and admitted to a sanitarium following a nitrous only tooth extraction. Highlighted in the “Was it love? or simply nitrous oxide gas” publication by The Cincinnati Enquirer
McKesson noted the cyanosis secondary to the hypoxia induced by his anaesthesia technique. He chose to monitor the respiratory rate, blood pressure, eye signs and muscle movement to determine when supplemental oxygen may be applied. He believed that monitoring rhythmic deep breathing (which he presumed would reflect adequate brain oxygenation) and blood pressure would guard against stroke or other consequences from such little oxygen during his cases.
So was hypoxic brain injury and admission to mental asylums one possible legacy of McKesson’s Secondary Saturation? Yes, according to Edmond ‘Ted’ Eger II (1930-2017) who recalled one urban
legend suggesting that
This practice of secondary saturation was superseded by the introduction of safer alternatives such as ethylene, cyclopropane, and curare.“
Elmer McKesson
Elmer Isaac “Ira” McKessen (1881-1935) was an inventor, physician and engineer. McKesson Intermittent ventilator, metabolor, and the nargraf
litfl.com
I like the plain language in these newspaper articles. Maybe anesthesia was actually to blame 🫤
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