Anterograde and retrograde memory in children anesthetized with propofol

Prior to anesthesia with propofol for gastrointestinal endoscopy, sets of p ictures were presented to 20 children and adolescents (M age = 12 years). W ord pairs (e.g., "hiking-woods") were presented via ear phones after the ch ildren were anesthetized. Upon regaining consciousness, the children were t ested for explicit memory of both the picture sets and word pairs by free r ecall, cued recall, and yes/no recognition. Implicit memory was tested by f ree association to category cues for the pictures and by word association f or the word pairs. Postoperative testing revealed retrograde memory for mat erial presented preoperatively but total amnesia for material presented int raoperatively. There was no evidence of implicit memory for material not av ailable explicitly. The finding of uninterrupted ability to retain and retr ieve information presented prior to anesthesia despite total anterograde am nesia has implications for preoperative communication directed toward pedia tric patients as well as for intraoperative communication among surgical st aff.