AWAKE AND UNDER THE KNIFE: #1461
BACKGROUND: Anesthesia failure that allows a patient to wake up during surgery, paralyzed and unable to cry for help, occurs 100 times a day in the United States. That means, every year an estimated 20,000 to 40,000 of the 21 million patients who receive general anesthesia wake up during surgery because they are under-anesthetized, usually by mistake or because doctors fear too high a dose of anesthesia could be dangerous. Half of them can hear or feel what is going on but are unable to communicate what is happening to them because they have been temporarily paralyzed. Nearly 30 percent feel pain, studies have shown.
AFTER SURGERY: As a result of the experience, about 50 percent of awareness victims develop serious psychological problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), experts say. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), which inspects the nation's hospitals, issued an alert about anesthesia awareness, calling it "a frightening phenomenon" that is "under-recognized and under-treated."
EDUCATION IS KEY: The commission called on hospitals to educate their staff as well as high-risk patients about the problem; to take steps to prevent it by properly maintaining equipment and using "appropriate available monitoring technology"; and to devise policies that deal swiftly and compassionately with affected patients, including providing them access to mental health treatment.
BRAIN MONITORS: The Food and Drug Administration is broadening its approval of a device it says has reduced the risk of patients waking up during surgery. The BIS monitor, which is used in one-third of United States hospitals, turns the brain's EEG waves into a number that can tell anesthesiologists at a glance how deeply a patient is sedated.
THE CAUSE?
• Weight: Your body mass index or amount of body fat is a factor. Women and slimmer patients report more awareness.
• Age: The older you are, the less anesthesia you need.
• Existing Disease: Your risk can change, especially with diabetes and cancer.
• Medications: Any medications including herbal supplements can have a big effect on the anesthesia.
• Type of surgery: Some surgeries are more susceptible to awareness including cardiac and obstetric operations and acute trauma surgery.
For More Information, Contact:
Catherine Lake
http://www.surgicalfire.org/
