Patient awareness under general anesthesia (or anesthetic awareness) is a rare experience that occurs when surgical patients can recall their surroundings or an event – sometimes even pressure or pain –related to their surgery while they were under general anesthesia. In some cases patients may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder following an awareness experience. While severe cases of anesthetic awareness are uncommon, research is ongoing to determine the causes of awareness and ways to prevent it from happening.
Anesthetic Awareness Fact Sheet
Patient Awareness Brochure (PDF)
Although awareness under general anesthesia is rare, this brochure was created by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, the American Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants, and the American Society of Anesthesiologists to explain this phenomenon, address questions patients may have, and assist patients in communicating with their anesthesia provider.
Estado de Alerta Consciente del Paciente Bajo Anestesia General – Qué Significa? (PDF)
A pesar de la rareza del estado de alerta, los miembros de la Asociacion Americana de Enfermeros Anestesistas y la Sociedad Americana de Anestesiologos desean hacer de su conocimiento esta posibilidad. Estas organizaciones han estado estudiando este asunto y estan en proceso de evaluar la efectividad de varias tecnologias y tecnicas parap siminuir las probabilidades de que esto occurra. Information about Pamphlet and Ordering
Waking Up During Surgery: Survivor's Book Tells Harrowing Account of Anesthetic Awareness
AANA Position Statement 2.12: "Unintended Awareness Under General Anesthesia"
News Release: Anesthesia Patient-Provider Communication Essential to Safe Care
News Release: Considerations for Policy Development: Unintended Intraoperative Awareness
News Release: AANA and ASA Team with JCAHO on Sentinel Event Alert on Patient Awareness Under Anesthesia
Joint Commission Information
Legal Briefs: Awareness , AANA Journal, 2006;74:15-18.
Public Service Announcement
Windows Media Video, .wmv, 5.2 MB
Nurse Anesthetists At A Glance
"Awake" Movie Exploits Rare Anesthesia Experience
Members of the press may contact the AANA Public Relations staff through any of the avenues listed below.
Christopher Bettin
Senior Director, Communications
cbettin@aana.com
Phone: 847-655-1143
Marlene McDowell
Public Relations Manager
mmcdowell@aana.com
Phone: 847-655-1145
Armentia Snyder
Public Relations Specialist
asnyder@aana.com
Phone: 847-655-1148
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The Anesthesia Awareness Campaign
The mission of the Anesthesia Awareness Campaign is "to prevent patients (even one) from experiencing anesthesia awareness and its consequences through education, prevention, and empowerment by replacing ignorance or fear with knowledge."
Webcast Forum, OR-Live, November 28, 2007– New!
A Wake-Up Call About Anesthesia Awareness
Striking a Balance in Public Perceptions (nearly 2hours). This webcast featured an expert panel, including AANA Past President Tom McKibban, CRNA, MS, addressing the media about anesthetic awareness. Find out what every patient should know! Click on "Archived Forum."
Awake and Under the Knife
WPTV NewsChannel 5, West Palm Beach, FL, May 8, 2008