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Victims of awareness.

C Lennmarken1, K Bildfors, G Enlund

  • 1Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, Vrinnevisjukhuset, Norrköping, Sweden. Claes.Lennmarken@lio.se

Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica
|April 10, 2002
PubMed
Summary

Intraoperative awareness can cause severe, long-lasting psychological distress in some patients. Long-term psychiatric follow-up is crucial for those experiencing awareness during anesthesia.

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Area of Science:

  • Anesthesiology
  • Psychiatry
  • Patient Outcomes

Background:

  • Intraoperative awareness with recall can lead to persistent mental health issues.
  • The long-term risk, severity, and duration of these sequelae are not well-established.
  • Previous studies lack data on consecutive cases of awareness and their psychological impact.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the long-term psychological sequelae in patients who experienced intraoperative awareness with recall.
  • To assess the prevalence and severity of mental health problems following anesthesia awareness.
  • To determine the necessity of long-term psychiatric follow-up for affected patients.

Main Methods:

  • Interviewed 9 out of 18 prospectively identified patients with intraoperative awareness after approximately 2 years.
  • Assessed for persisting psychiatric and psychological problems related to the awareness event.
  • Gathered data on symptom severity, duration, and impact on daily life.

Main Results:

  • Four of nine interviewed patients (44%) experienced severe, disabling psychiatric sequelae.
  • Anxiety was a common symptom during awareness; pain was less frequent.
  • Three patients had milder, transient symptoms, while two reported no sequelae.

Conclusions:

  • A significant portion of patients experience severe, long-term psychological distress after intraoperative awareness.
  • Initial post-event management, though seemingly adequate, did not prevent long-term issues.
  • Routine psychiatric assessment, treatment, and long-term follow-up are recommended for all patients experiencing intraoperative awareness.

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