THIS NEWSLETTER IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. NOTHING IN THIS CONTENT CONSTITUTES MEDICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, OR PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. ALWAYS CONSULT A QUALIFIED HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL BEFORE MAKING ANY HEALTH RELATED DECISIONS.

OKAY BACK FROM THE CLAIMS ARCHIVE 🗄️

A 1999 US Review Looked At Malpractice Claims Involving Awareness

The Claims Came From A Database Kept By A US Anesthesiology Society

That Database Holds Closed US Malpractice Claims

Awareness Claims Were 79 Of The 4,183 Claims In It

That Is 1.9 Percent Of The Database

18 Of The 79 Were Claims For Awake Paralysis

Awake Paralysis Means A Patient Was Accidentally Paralyzed While Awake

The Other 61 Were Claims For Recall During General Anesthesia

Women Were Involved In 77 Percent Of The Awareness Claims

In 87 Percent The Patient Had Undergone Elective Surgery

Most Awake Paralysis Claims Involved Substandard Care

That Was 94 Percent Of Them

The Substandard Care Involved Errors In Labeling And Administration

Poor Labeling And Vigilance Were Common Causes Of Awake Paralysis

For Recall Claims Care Was Substandard In Only 43 Percent

The Authors Call Awareness A Frightening Experience

They Say It May Result In Serious Emotional Injury And PTSD

A 2024 US Case Commentary Cites The Same 61 Cases

It Says Clinical Signs Often Fail To Detect Awareness

Only 9 Of Those 61 Cases Were Linked To High Blood Pressure

4 Were Linked To A Fast Heart Rate And 1 To Movement

A National Audit Covered The UK And Ireland

Two Bodies Of Anesthetists There Ran It

Patient Experiences Ranged From Lone Sounds Or Touch To Full Awareness

Care Before The Awareness Episode Was Judged Poor In 39 Percent

It Was Judged Good In 26 Percent And Mixed In 31

The Audit Also Recorded Legal Action And Complaints

By The Time Of Reporting Eight Patients Took Legal Action

That Was 6 Percent Of The Patients

12 Patients Or 11 Percent Had Made A Formal Complaint

The Audit's Method Might Help Investigate Claims Or Serious Incidents

Medical Protection Supports UK Anesthetists And Intensivists

It Reviewed Over 2,000 Of Their Cases From 2016 To 2022

Those Cases Included Claims Complaints And Inquests

It Continues To See A Very Small Number Of Awareness Claims

Those Claims Nearly Always Involved Muscle Relaxants

Claimants Experienced Distress At The Time Of Awareness

Post Traumatic Stress Disorders Were Also Frequent In Those Claims

All Of Its Awareness Claims Were Settled

The Highest Total Payment Was Over £36,000

Finland Has A Patient Injury Act

Compensation Is Paid Under It For Injury Caused By Medical Treatment

A Study Reviewed The Compensation Claims Involving Awareness

Those Claims Were Filed Between May 1987 And December 1993

In That Period 23,363 Patient Injury Claims Were Made

Of These 391 Concerned Anesthetic Treatments

There Were Four Cases Of Awareness With Recall

The Authors Called Awareness Claims Surprisingly Few

They Said Compensation Paid Was Low Compared With Some Other Countries

That 2024 Case Commentary Also Advises On Responding To Patients

Its Authors Call Believing The Patient's Recollections Very Important

Suppose Professionals Pretend The Patient Only Imagined What Happened

The Authors Say That Often Leads To Resentment

They Add That It May Increase The Provider's Legal Risk

In Their View An Honest Conversation Helps The Patient Understand

It Also Helps Them Process Their Experience

They Say Any Awareness Episode Should Be Highlighted In The Record

That Way Future Anesthesia Providers Can Readily Access It