Earlier Findings Corroborated in New General Anesthesia Awareness Study

Newswise — Researchers at the University of Michigan Medical School, University of Colorado School of Medicine and Emory University have found that the incidence of intra-operative awareness and recall in children undergoing general anesthesia is similar to that found in earlier studies.

New research conducted among 1,788 children ages 5 to 15 by these three medical centers has found that 1.1 percent of children ( approximately 1 in 100) undergoing general anesthesia experience possible or probable awareness or unwanted recall of events during anesthesia.

While approximately half of the children who experienced awareness reported being scared or hurting during the procedure, none of them developed psychological distress.

Researchers interviewed the children in person or by phone three times following surgery to determine incidents of reported memories, dreaming or waking up that could indicate possible or probable awareness during surgery.

According to Shobha Malviya, M.D, of the University of Michigan Medical School, 10 percent of children with possible or probable awareness stated that they would feel worse if they had to have surgery again. By comparison, 15 percent of children with no memories said they would feel worse if they again had to have surgery.

Of those children who indicated possible or probable awareness, 25 percent reported "hurting" during their procedure and 40 percent reported "feeling scared."

While awareness occurring during general anesthesia while in surgery may have unavoidable, psychological consequences for the small number of patients involved, children who reported awareness "Were no more likely to feel worse about subsequent surgery than children with no awareness." Dr. Malviya noted.

"Parents should recognize that awareness under anesthesia can occur in children and should be reported to their health care providers, this finding suggests that awareness was not associated with significant psychological distress," Dr. Malviya concludes.

Anesthesiologists: Physicians providing the lifeline of modern medicine. Founded in 1905, the American Society of Anesthesiologists is an educational, research and scientific association with 43,000 members organized to raise and maintain the standards of the medical practice of anesthesiology and improve the care of the patient.

For more information visit the American Society of Anesthesiologists Web site at http://www.asahq.org.

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