Victims of awareness

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.