Effects of being awake during surgery portrayed in new movie
The new movie “Awake”, starring Hayden Christensen, portrays the horrifying and painful effects of anesthesia awareness, which occurs when a patient is awake during surgery, yet unable to tell the doctors or nurses about the pain they are experiencing. Unfortunately, for as many as 30,000 people each year, this traumatic experience is a reality which often could have been avoided.
>>INFORMATION: Anesthesia Awareness Lawsuits
During surgery, patients place their trust in the anesthesiologist to provide the proper amount of medication to avoid pain and keep them unconscious throughout the procedure. Anesthesia awareness is the term used to describe when a patient is not given the proper amount of anesthesia and end up awake during surgery. Paralyzing drugs, which are usually given to avoid movements during the surgery, prevent the patient from expressing their pain and result in long-lasting psychological effects from the trauma.
The movie scene which depicts this occurrence features the character portrayed by Christensen motionless on the operating table while the audience hears his internal screams of agony while he undergoes open heart surgery. The marketing campaign for “Awake” indicates that the movie will “do to surgery what ‘Jaws’ did to swimming in the ocean.”
In reality, the effects of anesthesia awareness can vary from mild feelings of pain and pressure to the excruciating pain with detailed memories of conversations between the doctors and nurses portraye in the film. For those who experience the condition, they often describe it as one of the worst experiences of their lives.
In addition to the pain during the surgery, many victims of this form of medical malpractice are left with permanent emotional and psychological damage. It is common for depression, nightmares, psychological disorders and suicidal thoughts to remain for years. Some experts equate the effects of the trauma to the experiences of combat veterans or rape victims.
A variety of preventable events could allow an individual to wake up during surgery , and the American Society of Anesthesiologists has a task force on the issue to reduce the occurrences. Anesthesia drugs require very precise measurements and human error or mechanical failures could result in miscalculating the drug dosage. In addition, preventable anesthesia problems such as lines getting bent during surgery or machines running out of the drug have also been found to cause anesthesia awareness.
The American Society of Anesthesiologists has a registry which captures stories and key details of individuals who experienced awareness during general anesthesia at www.awaredb.org. The focus of the registry is to work towards stopping anesthesia awareness, with the slogan “one case is one too many.”
ANESTHESIA AWARENESS LAWYERS
The medical malpractice lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. investigate potential anesthesia awareness lawsuits on behalf of people who have experienced the trauma of being awake during surgery. If you, a friend or family member have suffered from a preventable anesthesia error, request a free consultation and claim evaluation.
3 Comments • Add Your Comments
Cathy says:
I had a breast reductio surgery May 5, 2006 When I woke up during surgery the doctor freaked out and sewed my right breast up horribly. One side looks like a straight line the other side was sewed up to tight and look like a child did it. It was sewn up so tight my skin split and a hole formed and would not heal until she finally took the stiches out on that side 6 weeks later. I felt her sewing me up and saw and heard everything for a awhile until they knocked me back out.
Posted on March 13, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Jazmin says:
My mother had a Caesarean Section when she had me, and the Anastasia given to her for the procedure had been given to me rather than her, she was “awake” during the procedure, and felt every last cut in her stomach! she felt me being pulled out, and everything! the doctors did not believe her (Well it was 1989, perhaps back then they didn’t know shit) she told the doctors she felt everything, and they didn’t seem to care, or believe.. well… let me tell you.. they thought I was dead when I came out, I wasnt moving, crying.. NOTHING. they could barely feel a heart beat, it was real faint due to the drugs that had entered me instead of my mom.. and.. my arms and legs were spread, and I didn’t move or make a sound for three days. Till this day I feel like I have many problems as an effect of what happened to my mother and I. I have many random health issues, that were not passed down by anyone in my family.. not hereditary, I have a feeling that they were caused because of what had happened.
Just wanted to share this story, my mother shared it with when I was old enough to understand, and of course I believed her.. its a true thing that apparently happened to many people.
Posted on August 26, 2008 at 1:25 am
mfirebrand1 says:
I had a similar experience but not as tragic as yours.
Posted on March 3, 2010 at 6:13 pm