It’s very rare to wake up during a general anaesthetic | Letters

Anaesthetists respond to a recent Guardian article

Accidental awareness (when a patient becomes conscious during a general anaesthetic) is an incredibly important issue to both patients and anaesthetists (The long read, 9 February). Patients undergoing surgery can be assured that it is highly uncommon to wake up during a general anaesthetic.

The largest ever research study (NAP5) performed on this topic was carried out in 2014 by the Royal College of Anaesthetists and the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland. It showed that approximately one person in 20,000 reported awareness, and it most commonly occurred before surgery started or after it finished.

Continue reading... February 12, 2018 at 11:37PM