# Open Heart Surgery WITHOUT Anesthesia: Possible?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-heart-surgery-without-anesthesia-possible/407332>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 9, 2007, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-heart-surgery-without-anesthesia-possible/407332 "2007-06-09T00:46:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![txjim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f07891/32.png) [@txjim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/txjim)\
**Post date:** [June 3, 2016, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-heart-surgery-without-anesthesia-possible/407332/41 "2016-06-03T13:55:30Z")

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nm

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**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\
**Post date:** [June 3, 2016, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-heart-surgery-without-anesthesia-possible/407332/42 "2016-06-03T15:18:50Z")

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_All_ surgery prior to the mid-19th Century was done without anesthetic (unless you consider “shitloads of alcohol” an “anesthetic”). I don’t think they did open heart surgery back then, but there were plenty of brain surgeries. [Trepanning](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trepanning), for example, and more.

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**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\
**Post date:** [June 3, 2016, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-heart-surgery-without-anesthesia-possible/407332/43 "2016-06-03T15:42:48Z")

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> [@Czarcasm](#):
>
> But if you read the article you find out that, while he wasn’t knocked out, they did use a local anesthesia.  
> And he still felt a shit-load of pain.

Following my open-heart surgery, I was on a very strong pain killer for a month. Was he able to control this amount of pain continuously, for all that time, even while he was asleep – while dealing with simultaneous general weakness? Or did he wake up screaming, trying to regain control? The mind boggles that anyone can have that level of “control” over such a long span of time.

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**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\
**Post date:** [June 3, 2016, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-heart-surgery-without-anesthesia-possible/407332/44 "2016-06-03T19:15:19Z")

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I would imagine surgery is not just about being pain-free. It’s also about immobilizing the patient. I had a biopsy done and the local didn’t quite take, and I tried my best to stay still but there were times I couldn’t control my tics and jerks as he poked a needle into my boob.

I think it’s easier on the doctors, too. Knock the patient completely out, then the surgeon can do what they need to do.

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