[An anesthetized anesthesiologist tells his experience of waking up accidentally during the operation]

We report the recollections of an anaesthesiologist who experienced urogenital surgery under balanced anaesthesia which was insufficient to prevent awareness during a part of the procedure. The patient was hard apprehensive before surgery and neither sedative nor amnesic drugs were done as premedication. He received an Innovar, thiopentone, suxamethonium, nitrous oxide/oxygen sequence for intubation. Awareness occurred not long after but before administration of isoflurane for maintenance. In that terrifying moments the patient was conscious without pain. According to him the worst aspect of the experience was desperately wanting to move or speak and being unable to do so. In the event of unexpected awareness, the anaesthesiologist must deal with the patient in an honest and forthright manner. Failure to do so lead to dire psychological consequences for the patient and expensive malpractice litigation for the anaesthesiologist.