Year: 1992 Source: Anesthesia and Analgesia, v.75, no.3, (September 1992), p.463 SIEC No: 19920829

In this letter to the editor, the author describes the case of a 58-year-old male who attempted suicide after surgery. Ortega states that many factors surrounding anethesia & surgery may trigger emergence delirium & postoperative psychosis. He suggests that elective preoperative psychiatric evaluation may be warranted in patients suspected of suffering from a mental illness. This would help to diagnosis postoperative psychosis & to prevent patients from harming themselves or others. (2 refs.)