Can Heightened Sense Of Smell Be A Side Effect Of Anaesthesia?

Posted on Sat, 28 Dec 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 28 Dec 2013 Answered on

Fri, 17 Jan 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : Between 12/9 my husband had orthoscopic surgery on his right knee, on 12/13 my husband had an angiojet done and a vena cava filter put in to deal with a DVT in the right leg. On 12/18 my husband had to have a vena gram and a catheter inserted into his right leg for a TPA infusion because the clot regenerated and on 12/19 the catheter was removed. In 10 days my husband had 4 procedures that required some sort of anesthesia. He was released from the hospital yesterday and for the last few days has had a very heightened sense of smell. Is this is a result of all of the anesthesia that he has had to "ingest"? How long will this last?

Answered by Dr. Vivek Chail (3 hours later)

Brief Answer: Unlikely due to anesthesia Detailed Answer: Hi XXXX, Thanks for writing in to us. I have read through your query in detail. The anesthesia details are also not mentioned but can be either local or general. However, since the last procedure under anesthesia was done on 12/12, almost 10 days back, it's unlikely that the underlying cause of heightened sense of smell is anesthesia. With a history of addictive drug intake in the past, it is possible that the heightened sense of smell might be a part of withdrawal symptoms. This needs correlation with detailed drug intake history and duration and also the last occasion when he had taken any drug. As some patients are also given certain pain killer medications after surgery, I suggest you discuss this matter with the orthopedic surgeon and follow up with the health professionals at the rehabilitation centre where he had taken guidance earlier. Hope your query is answered. Do write back if you have any doubts. Regards, Dr.Vivek

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar