Anaes Cases · Depth of anaesthesia & awareness
Patient reports awareness
Hot case — reported AAGA. Validation and listening (not dismissal), apology, detailed documentation, causation analysis, honest explanation, psychological referral (CBT), follow-up, and prevention of recurrence.
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Target exams
ANZCAFRCAABAEDAIC
Prompt
In the recovery room, the patient states 'I could hear everything during the surgery and I could not move.' Manage.
Presentation
In the recovery room, 30 minutes after emergency laparotomy under rapid-sequence general anaesthesia, the patient tells the nurse: "I could hear everything during the surgery, I felt pain in my belly, and I could not move or speak." The nurse alerts the anaesthetist. Manage.
[4]References2ShowHide
- [4]Graham M, et al. Minimizing the Harm of Accidental Awareness Under General Anesthesia: New Perspectives From Patients Misdiagnosed as Being in a Vegetative State. Anesth Analg, 2018.PMID 28922237
- [5]Pandit JJ, et al. Movements during intended general anaesthesia and psychologically traumatic accidental awareness. Anesth Analg, 2026.PMID 40911489