Don't Laugh -- Laughing Gas Does NOT Cause Heart Attacks
I had to read this news story twice to be sure it wasn't a joke. But it's the truth. There's been some concern that nitrous oxide -- or what the dentist gives you to put you out, laughing gas -- might be responsible for causing heart attacks during surgery or soon afterward. Well, sometimes they combine it with anesthesia during surgery, too, because by itself, the drug isn't strong enough to keep patients unconscious. And previous studies had found that patients with certain genetic abnormalities had a much higher risk of heart attack during or after surgery. But the good news is, there now doesn't seem to be a connection, according to newswise.com Participants in the study reported at newswise.com received nitrous oxide anesthesia during heart surgery and were divided into two groups -- those who received a vitamin and folic acid to prevent homocystine levels from rising, and those who did not. Homocystines are an amino acid found in the blood suspecte...