Waking Up During Surgery

[Hazi-Hammenuhoth]

I have just been reading the horrendous case of Canadian Donna Penner, who, undergoing abdominal surgery, woke up in the operating theatre just before the surgeon made his first incision. The unlucky woman endured excruciating pain despite being unable to communicate, due to the drug-induced paralysis and survived to tell the tale. I was disconcerted to read that, according to studies, approximately one in 19000 patients "accidentally" wakes up during surgery!

Have you, or anyone you know, ever experienced this, or anything similar?

[albaqwerty]

I thing that is terrifying.
Listening to theatre staff and not being able to tell them.

[Peter Pedant]

the royal college of anaesthetists is full ofer
anaesthetists and you will not be surprised they have a hand out on this very subject

http://www.rcoa.ac.uk/system/files/08-Awareness2017.pdf

[Peter Pedant]

no big deal
lots of procedures are done under local
and you are awake during the procedure

I had my eyelids sewn together to prevent corneal scarring
under local ( painless ) and wasnt too worried by the two surgeons yakking ....

[dannyk13]

Yes, happened to me when I woke up just as the surgeon was about to finish my op. Only time I can remember actually screaming in agony.

[albaqwerty]

oh, Danny, how truly awful! xx

[Hazi-Hammenuhoth]

I wish to clarify, I am talking about waking up during what should be general anaesthetic, not the standard local procedure.

[Hazi-Hammenuhoth]

Danny, that is horrendous! Glad you could scream though!

[Sqad]

Peter Pedant.

"no big deal
lots of procedures are done under local
and you are awake during the procedure"


yes......but under local one can say..."that is bloody hurting" but under general anaesthetic one is paralysed and you cannot say anything........just lay there and accept it.

[Peter Pedant]

Sqad - just wanted to point out people expectations

a lot of the comment has been about pain during the procedure not hearing sounds - so it is not actually being awake but being in pain.

General Anaesthesia you will recollect from the week in your training called Odds and *** - goes around as a triad - unconsciousness- analgesia and muscle relaxation

If anyone experiences this - they should of course call the Hospital where it happened and then ring a lawyer .....

The college pdf I have given above isnt a bad read ....

[dannyk13]

Hazi, I was under a general anaesthetic.

[Sqad]

P.P
"a lot of the comment has been about pain during the procedure not hearing sounds - so it is not actually being awake but being in pain."

Why make medicine complicated.....and replies.....if one is in pain, then one is awake.

[Peter Pedant]

the pdf in the article
( google Donna Penner bbc news) is the same one as I gave

the event occurred in 2008

[Peter Pedant]

// .if one is in pain, then one is awake. //

noop - one can easily be unconscious and react to painful stimuli

"let us call a thing a thing and not another thing" [Bishop Butler I think)

[Sqad]

I give up.......I have read your link and cannot see how it helps.

If you react to pain whilst unconscious.....then you cannot remember the pain on regaining consciousness...THAT.....is no big deal.
If you are conscious, but paralysed and can feel pain, then you are awake and that IS a big deal.

[dannyk13]

Squad, I woke up from a general anaesthetic, I wasn't paralysed.

[Sqad]

danny....I don't understand.......waking up from a general anesthetic in a non paralytic state is the norm.

[dannyk13]

The point is that the surgeon was still operating when I woke.

[Sqad]

danny.........if you were pain free, then you were paralysed as you say, so what was the problem?

[Prudie]

Must have been terrible danny but presumably you could at least communicate that you were awake. This is about people waking but without being able to tell the surgeon you were awake and feeling pain due to paralysis. I have certainly heard such horror stories before.

[dannyk13]

Sqad, read my post at 14.51.I was far from pain free.