An Observational, Prospective Study in Patients With Positive Urine Cocaine Metabolites Undergoing Surgery for General Anesthesia

The risks associated with administering general anesthesia to cocaine abusing patients with a positive urine cocaine metabolite is a major cause of cancellation of surgery in many trauma centers. Although many clinicians wait 24 to 48 hours after a positive urine drug screen before administering anesthesia, no standard or practical guidelines have yet to determine when it is safe to proceed with general anesthesia in this patient population. Due to the lack of guidelines for these cases, the rate of cancellation of procedures for these patients is high. The frequent cancelling of such cases causes a waste of resources, personnel, and time. The risks associated with cocaine use that cause most clinicians to cancel cases are mainly due to the cardiovascular effects of cocaine. Increases in blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, and the potential for myocardial infarction and fatal arrhythmias are what clinicians fear when administering general anesthesia to these patients. However, due to the urgency of some of the cases, it would be beneficial to both the patient and institutions to know when it is safe to proceed with the case and when it is not. When it is safe to administer general anesthesia to the patient with cocaine positive urine drug screen has never been clearly determined. This observational study will evaluate the effects of general anesthesia on the cocaine abusing patient with cocaine positive urine drug screen.