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Under the Knife and Completely Aware

A Case of Intraoperative Awareness

By Patrick R. Field, Gabrielle Gangemi, Taylor Kinsley

Under the Knife and Completely Aware


 

Abstract

This case study is based on a newspaper article about the suicide of Sherman Sizemore shortly after he underwent an exploratory laparotomy (abdominal surgery).  After his surgery, Sherman experienced symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) including nightmares, paranoia, depression, insomnia, and dramatic mood swings. Sherman's family later discovered that he had been awake during the first part of the surgery; although given a muscle relaxer, he was never administered an anesthetic. Sherman was never told that he had been awake during surgery or that he had been given an amnesic to suppress memory of the traumatic event.  The condition that Sherman experienced is variously called intraoperative awareness (IOA) or anesthesia awareness. This case study explores the moral, ethical, and biological issues relevant to IOA by using role play and the device of a fictional mediation between three stakeholder groups: Sherman's family, the anesthesiologist group that administered the anesthetic, and the hospital and lead surgeon who conducted the surgery. The case is suitable for use in a wide variety of courses including medical ethics, psychology, abnormal psychology, introductory biology, anatomy, and physiology.

   

Date Posted

07/16/2013

Overview

Objectives

  • Research and discuss the condition of intra-operative awareness (IOA), including the symptoms that patients experience during and after surgery; the types of surgeries where IOA is most likely to occur; and the frequency of cases in the U.S.
  • Apply the typical protocol for delivery of anesthesia to this case study to discover the failure that resulted in IOA.
  • Apply the protocol of managing intraoperative awareness to this case study to determine the failure that resulted in PTSD-like symptoms.
  • Synthesize solutions to correct the failures in delivery of anesthesia and management of IOA observed in the case study.

Keywords

Intra-operative awareness; anesthetic awareness; anesthesia; post-traumatic shock disorder; PTSD; surgery; suicide; medical malpractice; litigation; mediation; medical ethics; bioethics

  

Subject Headings

Anatomy
Biology (General)
Medicine (General)
Physiology
Psychology
Public Health

EDUCATIONAL LEVEL

High school, Undergraduate lower division, Undergraduate upper division, Clinical education

  

FORMAT

PDF

   

TOPICAL AREAS

Ethics, Legal issues, Social justice issues

   

LANGUAGE

English

   

TYPE/METHODS

Debate, Dilemma/Decision, Role-Play, Trial

 

 

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