19
Jan 2021
Study finds more women suffer pain from being conscious during caesareans than realised
A troubling new study has found that more women may suffer pain due to being conscious while undergoing caesareans or other pregnancy-related surgery under general anaesthetic than before realised.
The Anaesthesia medical journal report found that being awake during a caesarean is much more common than it is with other types of surgery.
Although the experiences usually only last for a few seconds or minutes, anaesthetists remain highly concerned.
The study investigated over 3,000 women who had received general anaesthesia for childbirth-related procedures in 72 NHS hospitals in England, and found that almost six in ten patients who were conscious during surgery were distressed and around four in ten felt paralysed, which could be the result of muscle relaxant medication.
Patients also reported feeling stitching, tugging, feelings of dissociation and not being able to breathe, with some suffering long-term psychological damage that often involved characteristics of post traumatic stress disorder.
Dr Peter Odor, who was involved in the research, said “We identified a complex range of risk factors for awareness, including drug types and variations in practice.
“Although the incidence of awareness during caesarean section is much higher than in the general surgical population, it is important to emphasise that general anaesthesia remains safe and around half the patients that experienced awareness did not find it distressing.
“Although we have provided many answers, questions remain as to exactly why awareness is more common in pregnant women; our next steps are to apply the lessons learned from this study to help reduce risk in the future.”
Chadwick Lawrence’s specialist team of clinical negligence lawyers have years of experience in medical negligence claims, providing support and guidance after life-changing events. Not only do we represent clients in Yorkshire, but because of our reputation we also represent clients nationally.
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Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.
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