“Patient Perspectives on Intraoperative Awareness With Explicit Recall: Report from a North American Anesthesia Awareness Registry”, 2015-07 (; backlinks):
Background: Awareness during general anesthesia is a source of concern for patients and anesthetists, with potential for psychological and medico-legal sequelae. We used a registry to evaluate unintended awareness from the patient’s perspective with an emphasis on their experiences and healthcare provider responses.
Method: English-speaking subjects self-reported explicit recall of events during anesthesia to the Anesthesia Awareness Registry of the ASA, completed a survey, and submitted copies of medical records. Anesthesia awareness was defined as explicit recall of events during induction or maintenance of general anesthesia. Patient experiences, satisfaction, and desired practitioner responses to explicit recall were based on survey responses.
Results: Most of the 68 respondents meeting inclusion criteria (75%) were dissatisfied with the manner in which their concerns were addressed by their healthcare providers, and many reported long-term harm.
Half (51%) of respondents reported that neither the anesthesia provider nor surgeon expressed concern about their experience. Few were offered an apology (10%) or referral for counseling (15%). Patient preferences for responses after an awareness episode included validation of their experience (37%), an explanation (28%), and discussion or follow-up to the episode (26%).
Conclusion: Data from this registry confirm the serious impact of anesthesia awareness for some patients, and suggest that patients need more systematic responses and follow-up by healthcare providers.