The Missile Game

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The decision to operate on Elizabeth Keyes was a mistake.

She refused Propofol as her anesthetic because it killed Michael Jackson, then turned down the use of the second best medication, Versed. At the end, she said she wanted an older style of anesthesia, Valium and Demerol, but in reduced doses. She claimed that she was sensitive to all sedatives.

Sure enough, it took only 2 mg of Valium and 50 mg of Demerol to knock her out. Most people required 10 mg of Valium and 100 mg of Demerol, with a little extra if they begin to wake up during the operation. Not so with Elizabeth Keyes. She slept soundly.

And kept on sleeping…

I stood over the operating table, looking at her, waiting for her to wake up, then asked, “Why’s it taking her so long to recover from the anesthetic?”

Dr. Boyd Carey, my anesthesiologist, looked over his half-frame glasses and said, “If you hadn’t bowed to Keyes’ ridiculous demand for a particular sedative, this would have only taken forty-five minutes.”

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