RECALL OF AWARENESS DURING CARDIAC ANESTHESIA - INFLUENCE OF FEEDBACKINFORMATION TO THE ANESTHESIOLOGIST

We interviewed 303 cardiac surgery patients to evaluate the incidence of intraoperative awareness with recall. First, we randomly interviewe d 99 patients, of whom four patients (4%) reported awareness and recal l. We informed the cardiac anaesthesiologists of the results of these interviews, and we also gave general information regarding means to re duce awareness and recall during general anaesthesia. Thereafter, we i nterviewed 204 consecutive cardiac surgery patients. Now, three of the patients (1.5%) had intraoperative awareness with recall. The reducti on in the incidence from 4% to 1.5% was not significant. However, the doses of principal anaesthetic drugs had increased significantly betwe en the two interview phases, while the dose of pancuronium, the main m uscle relaxant used, had decreased significantly. Also, there was a si gnificant increase in the number of anaesthesias where anaesthetic age nts had been administered continuously instead of bolus or non-continu ous dosing techniques. Between the patients with awareness and recall and those without it, there was no difference in the doses of anaesthe tic agents given. The patients with awareness were significantly young er than those not aware. In conclusion, with educational measures and vigilance over the problem, the incidence of intraoperative awareness during cardiac anaesthesia may be reduced. The incidence figure of 1.5 % we observed is of the magnitude reported recently by others with mod ern cardiac anaesthesia techniques.