Why does “awareness during general anesthesia” occur?
Awareness could occur for a number of different reasons. It may be necessary to give fewer drugs during anesthesia if there are problems or complications. The risk of awareness may be weighted against the risk of life-threatening complications. Sometimes certain medications are necessary, but they can make it difficult for the anesthetic provider to monitor the depth of anesthesia. Drugs affect people in different ways. Some people may need more anesthesia than others to stay asleep and unaware. Unfortunately, there are other rare times that technical or human error occurs.
