[Anxiety in the perioperative phase--a double-blind study using oxazepam]

Sixty women were asked to fill in questionnaires about their subjective feelings of anxiety when undergoing mammary operations. Every operation puts the patient under emotional stress, whereas anxiety is mainly caused by anaesthesia, operation and rehabilitation. It was possible to show that oxazepam has a significant effect in view of the reduction of the anxiety factor. The largest emotional stress is very obvious 2 hours before introducing anaesthesia when no placebo was administered in the premedication. Our patients showed the lowest degree of anxiety on the third postoperative day. In spite of pharmacological premedication it will always remain the task of the anaesthetist during his preoperative round to pay attention to the psychological situation of the patient especially with regard to anxiety.