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30,000 Americans Wake Up During Surgery Each Year

Can you imagine waking up in the middle of surgery?  It is estimated that 30,000 patients wake up during surgery, yet they are unable to move, talk, or cry out for help.  This is thought to happen to 1 or 2 of every 1,000 surgical patients.  It is more likely to happen to children than adults.  One victim in an MSNBC story describes it like being entombed.  “While you’re laying there on the table,” she recalled, “you are thinking, praying, cursing, plotting, pleading, trying to crawl off the gurney, trying to kick, scream, move any part of your body to let them know you’re awake. In effect, you are entombed in a corpse.”

Most likely, patients wake up during surgery due to insufficient anesthesia.  During most surgeries an anesthesiologist or a nurse anesthesiologist monitors the patients vital signs and level of anesthesia.  A balance must be maintained so the patient remains unconscious but at the same time too much anesthesia can be dangerous.  While there are new technologies for measuring the patient's level of consciousness, some experts believe the best method is for the doctor to carefully follow protocols for monitoring patients' depth of sleep.