Oxygen Deprivation/Brain Injury

[scott8585]

#1 how long would it take before oxygen deprivation would cause some degree of damage to the brain?
#2 would that damage cause higher sensitivity to smells/tastes?

Background-my wife was admitted to the hospital for an infection and developed severe headaches. Part of the treatment was IV narcotics. Over the course of treatment, they changed her meds several times and an injection caused her to stop breathing for a period of 45 seconds to maybe 2+ minutes. After she was stabliized (shot of Narcan/assisted breathing), she became very sensitive to smells/tastes that she had no reaction to before.

[scott8585]

thanks for the response. I am not so sure about the meds causing the problem since she was discharges almost 4 months ago and the sensitivity persists. with regards to the oxygen deprivation, she was cyanotic prior to the dose that caused her to stop breathing. We are just trying to get to the bottom of why she is still having problems and her Doctor has been evasive since she is concerned about litigation.

[ggreg]

Generally, from what I understand, under three minutes and you're okay.  After that, you have a chance of problems.  The taste/smell thing could be a temporary result of medication.