====== Intraoperative Awareness ======

//Intra-operative Awareness// (a.k.a. //Anesthesia awareness//) sometimes occurs as a complication during general anesthesia, where the intended state of complete unconsciousness is not maintained throughout the whole procedure.

>The incidence of this anesthesia complication is variable and seems to affect 0.2% to 0.4% of patients according to the surgical setting carried out. This variation reflects the surgical setting as well as the physiological state of the patient. Thus, the incidence is 0.2% in general surgery, about 0.4% during caesarean section, between 1 and 2% during cardiac surgery and between 10% and 40% for anesthesia of the traumatized." \\ \\ Source : [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anesthesia_awareness|Wikipedia]]

>__The causes of intraoperative awareness are as yet unknown__, and the problem may be multifactorial. At least 4 broad categories of causes are plausible. First, unexpected patient-specific variability in dose requirements of anesthetic drugs may be a result of altered expression or function of target receptors. Second, patients may be unable to tolerate a sufficient dose of anesthetic because of low physiologic reserves related to factors such as poor cardiac function or severe hypovolemia. Third, physiologic characteristics that would indicate the need for a dose change may be masked by factors such as use of β-adrenergic receptor blockers or presence of a pacemaker. Fourth, intended drug delivery systems may be compromised by events such as equipment malfunction or misuse."\\ \\ Source : [[http://www.cmaj.ca/content/178/2/185|Awareness during anesthesia]] Beverley A. Orser, C. David Mazer and Andrew J. Baker, //CMAJ// January 15, 2008 178 (2) 185-188.

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Also see :[[content:medicine:drugs:gen_anaesthetics|General Anaesthetics]]