Robert Whitfield MD, an anesthesiologist, explains that waking up during surgery is extremely rare and mostly a risk only for critically ill patients in life-or-death situations. Movies and media exaggerate how often it happens.
No wake ups during surgery. No wake ups during surgery. No, that doesn't happen. And unfortunately, you know, media, movies, everybody has glamorized this idea of awareness. And I'm going to wake up during surgery. Awareness under anesthesia. That's what we call it in anesthesia and in, in health care, that's the, the actual term for it is awareness under anesthesia. That is only a real risk factor when you are too sick and your comorbidities are so high and all kinds of medical, underlying medical issues that would inhibit you from receiving the amount of anesthesia that you would need to be put to sleep. That really is only happening in patients that are in life or death situations when they are entering the hospital or entering care.
