Incidence of awareness in a high risk population: The cesarean section under general anesthesia

Anesthesia awareness is a devastating complication that can result in long-term psychological consequences. The purpose for this study is to assess the incidence of awareness in the cesarean section patient requiring general anesthesia. Ludwig Von Bertalanaffy's systems theory was the theoretical framework applied to this research. A convenience sample was obtained at a facility in West Virginia. Patients who required general anesthesia for their cesarean delivery between January 2005 and December 2006 were chosen to participate. Telephone numbers of this population were obtained by a retrospective chart audit. A structured interview was utilized to assess awareness. Results were evaluated using an awareness categorization used in prior research. Data from 35 patients are presented. Two possible events were identified which could be implicit or explicit recall. Conclusive findings would require additional follow-up with the two potential awareness cases. This major anesthetic complication needs to be considered by every provider to prevent the psychological consequences that may result.