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Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Measuring Attentional Biases for Threat in Children and Adults
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Published on: October 19, 2014

Awareness in children: another two cases.

Heleen J Blussé Van Oud-Alblas1, Adrian T Bösenberg, Dick Tibboel

  • 1Department of Anaesthesiology and Department of Pediatric Surgery, Erasmus University Medical Centre - Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. h.blussevanoudalblas@erasmusmc.nl

Paediatric Anaesthesia
|May 17, 2008
PubMed
Summary

This article describes two instances where children regained consciousness during surgery while under general anesthesia. It highlights that this rare complication may happen more frequently in pediatric patients than in adults. The authors aim to improve understanding of this poorly documented issue, as the specific triggers and lasting mental health effects remain unclear.

Keywords:
surgical complicationspatient safetygeneral anesthesiaclinical case report

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Area of Science:

  • Pediatric anesthesiology research within clinical medicine
  • Intraoperative awareness outcomes research within patient safety

Background:

No prior work has fully resolved why pediatric patients experience unintended consciousness during surgical procedures more often than adults. It was already known that this complication occurs in approximately 0.1 to 0.2 percent of low-risk adult surgeries. That uncertainty drove researchers to investigate whether younger populations face unique risks during sedation. Prior research has shown that while adult experiences are well documented, pediatric data remains sparse. This gap motivated a closer look at the frequency and nature of such events in children. No consensus exists regarding the specific triggers that lead to these occurrences in a clinical setting. That ambiguity persists despite the serious nature of regaining consciousness while under medical care. This report addresses the lack of detailed case documentation for this specific patient demographic.

Purpose Of The Study:

The aim of this report is to describe two instances of unintended consciousness in children during surgical procedures. This study seeks to address the lack of information regarding why such complications arise in younger patients. The authors intend to provide evidence that challenges the assumption that this phenomenon is rare in pediatric settings. By detailing these cases, the researchers hope to stimulate further discussion on patient safety during sedation. The motivation stems from the observation that adult data cannot be directly applied to pediatric care. This work attempts to illuminate the complex nature of the issue by sharing specific clinical experiences. The researchers focus on the need for better documentation to understand the risks involved. This report serves as a call for increased attention to the psychological and physiological aspects of pediatric anesthesia.

Main Methods:

The review approach involves a detailed examination of two distinct clinical events involving children. Investigators utilized a retrospective analysis of medical records to reconstruct the timeline of these surgical procedures. This methodology focuses on identifying specific anesthetic protocols that were active during the unintended consciousness. The team evaluated patient history to determine if any pre-existing conditions contributed to the observed outcome. By synthesizing these accounts, the authors provide a descriptive overview of the complications encountered. This qualitative strategy allows for a deep dive into the nuances of each individual scenario. The design emphasizes the importance of reporting rare events to build a broader knowledge base. This approach avoids quantitative modeling in favor of narrative evidence to shed light on the problem.

Main Results:

The strongest finding indicates that unintended consciousness during surgery may be more prevalent in children than in the adult population. While adult rates are documented between 0.1 and 0.2 percent, pediatric data suggests a higher frequency. The authors present two specific instances where patients regained consciousness during their respective procedures. These reports confirm that recall of surgical events is possible in younger individuals under general sedation. The evidence highlights that the triggers for these occurrences remain elusive despite the observed outcomes. No specific anesthetic agent was identified as the sole cause for these complications in the reported cases. The findings demonstrate that the psychological impact following such events is not yet fully characterized by current literature. This synthesis of clinical data provides a starting point for recognizing the scope of the issue.

Conclusions:

The authors suggest that pediatric patients might be at a higher risk for unintended consciousness than previously recognized. These documented instances serve to highlight the complexity of managing sedation in younger individuals. The researchers propose that future efforts should focus on identifying the specific triggers for this phenomenon. They emphasize that the long-term psychological consequences for these children remain an open question. This synthesis indicates that clinicians must remain vigilant during all phases of pediatric surgical care. The report implies that current understanding of this complication is limited by a lack of detailed case studies. These findings underscore the need for more comprehensive data collection across pediatric surgical centers. The authors conclude that awareness remains a significant concern that requires further investigation to ensure patient safety.

The researchers propose that unintended consciousness during surgery might occur more frequently in pediatric patients compared to adults. While adult incidence is established at 0.1 to 0.2 percent, the exact frequency in children remains uncertain due to limited reporting.

The authors describe two specific clinical instances of intraoperative awareness. These cases serve as a foundation for discussing the potential for higher incidence rates in children compared to the well-documented adult population.

The authors indicate that detailed documentation of such events is necessary to understand the underlying causes. Without these case reports, the medical community lacks the evidence required to compare pediatric risks against adult standards.

The report utilizes clinical case data to highlight the occurrence of unintended consciousness. This information is used to contrast the known adult incidence rates with the less understood pediatric experiences.

The researchers measure the occurrence of consciousness during general anesthesia. They compare this phenomenon in children to the established 0.1 to 0.2 percent incidence rate observed in low-risk adult surgical procedures.

The authors suggest that the long-term psychological impact of these events on children is currently unknown. They propose that this area requires further study to fully grasp the consequences of such experiences.