It must be extremely distressing to wake up or be aware of what is going on during surgery carried out under general anaesthetic.
I am currently helping someone who found themselves in just that position, sadly due to an anaesthetic error. Fortunately, my Client did not feel pain but, causing considerable fear, she became aware of what was going on around her and could not clear saliva, which had pooled in her mouth. She felt that she was going to die.
The Anaesthetic Department has acknowledged that an insufficient amount of anaesthetic was administered prior to the surgery commencing. My Client has suffered from panic attacks and flashbacks as a result of the distressing incident.
The Royal College of Anaesthetists reports that studies have been carried out which suggest that around one or two people per 1,000 patients under anaesthetic experience some kind of awareness. One-third of these people feel pain and the experience can be very distressing. A study in 2013 of Anaesthetists in the UK estimates that around one person per 15,000 patients reports awareness to their Anaesthetist. It is therefore fortunately uncommon.
If anaesthetic awareness occurs due to avoidable error then this can often make any psychiatric reaction to the traumatic event worse.
If you have suffered from anaesthetic awareness due to error, then my team and I are in your corner to obtain justice. I understand how traumatic such an event can be.
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