Hypnosis for the Elderly Patient
Belgium's Queen Fabiola is 80 years old. She had surgery to correct a thyroid problem earlier this month .
The wife of the late King Baudouin, elected to be sedated using hypnosis instead of general anaesthetic during her recent surgery.
University Hospital of Liege is famous for "hypnosedation". The method is usually used on older patients who are "more fragile" and therefore more vulnerable to the side-effects of a general anaesthetic.
The hospital in Liege has carried out more than 4,000 operations using the technique.
The surgery went well and the queen was allowed home three days later.
It is interesting to note that the queen was a hospital nurse in the 1950's.
Yes, the word is spreading about hypnosis during surgery.