• Sweden edition
National

Swedish man wakes up during lung surgery

Published: 23 Apr 12 12:07 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/40422/20120423/

A 22-year-old Swede undergoing surgery for a collapsed lung was shocked to find himself waking up while under the knife and unable to communicate with the surgeons.


“It was terrible, my worst nightmare,” the patient, from Växjö in southern Sweden, told The Local.

The man went under the knife in late March, suffering from a collapsed lung. He was fully sedated, but fifteen minutes into the surgery increased energy in his brain was registered and he had a coughing reflex. Soon after that he became aware of his surroundings and of the pain of the procedure.

The man wrote in his report to the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen) that he could hear the doctors and nurses speaking and that the pain became more and more intense.

“My brain kept telling me over and over ‘say your name, say something, do something, wiggle your toes’ but I was completely incapable of saying something or moving my body at all,” the patient wrote.

He was awake for some 30-35 minutes of the 50 minute procedure. When he woke again, he was in serious pain and very angry. Despite having been promised a spinal anaesthetic to relieve some of the pain, this had not been administered.

“My first words when I woke up were ‘What the hell have you done? Hell, my back hurts, where’s the anaesthesia?’," he wrote in his report.

After the patient had explained to the doctors what he had been through, they expressed shock at the incident. He was able to retell much of what had happened during the procedure, who had said what, and what people present looked like.

Later, the anaesthetists came in to see him and he retold his experiences. After a meeting with a specialist doctor he was told that there had been some indications during the procedure that all was not quite right.

“But I never really got any explanation as to why this had happened,” the man wrote in the report.

The doctor did confirm that the man had been forced to endure considerably more pain than if he had remained sedated.

A few weeks later, the man is recovering but not free of what happened to him.

“It is still difficult on and off. It was the worst thing I could imagine. I still find it hard to sleep sometimes,” he told The Local.

Rebecca Martin
Follow Rebecca on Twitter here.

What do you think? Leave your comment below.

Your comments about this article:

The comments below have not been moderated in advance and are not produced by The Local unless clearly stated. Readers are responsible for the content of their own comments. Comments that breach our terms and conditions will be removed.

13:38 April 23, 2012 by Galadima
I feel so sorry for the man and I pray he recovers completely. This phenomenon is called Anaesthesia Awareness. It was depicted in the 2007 movie 'Awake'.
14:06 April 23, 2012 by rohermoker
In the US he could count on a large ca$h award, In Sweden who knows?
14:26 April 23, 2012 by medicinem4n
I don't know who told this guy he would be administered spinal anesthesia, as it is totally useless for lung surgery. Spinal anesthesia anesthesizes the part of the body below the chest. As the lungs are *in* the chest cavity rather than below it, spinal anesthesia has no use in this kind of surgery.

Furthermore, spinal anesthesia is always administered *before* general anesthesia, as it requires a bit of cooperation from the patient. So there's no reason for this guy to find out that he didn't get it until *after* surgery.
15:44 April 23, 2012 by strixy
Looks like the healthcare in Sweden is getting better and better ;)
16:18 April 23, 2012 by umeåstar
What a joke! Your gonna feel pain after a surgery.. if he felt it during he would have been able to move or something. He probably felt the pressure of it. I have woken up during open heart surgery and I was able to get the attention of the doctors...I felt pressure not pain. People wake up during surgeries everywhere in the world...not just Sweden.. This dude is a wuss.. and trying to get money.
16:51 April 23, 2012 by jan.petras
Sue the anesthetist.
20:55 April 23, 2012 by johan rebel
Hey, at least he woke up, as opposed to al those who never wake up after surgery.
22:02 April 23, 2012 by krrodman
As always, these articles just don't give enough information to make a reasonable analysis but as a practicing anesthesiologist for 30 years, I am probably in the best position to talk about this case.

I am going to assume that he had a full thoracotomy for a recurrent pneumothorax(collapsed lung). Very unusual in a young person, but not unheard of. Our patient has a few facts wrong. He should have gotten an epidural preoperatively(not a spinal) in order to eliminate his pain after surgery. We do them routinely on every patient having a thoracotomy. He should have had one. I have no idea why it wasn't done.

Intraoperative awareness is a real, but rare problem in routine surgery. Put differently, intraoperative awareness is very rare in a patient who is stable enough hemodynamically to allow for a reasonable depth of anesthesia. We use EEG monitors(BIS machine) routinely to measure brain activity during surgery, but the machine is not perfect and patients have reported awareness despite the fact that the BIS tells us that the patient's brain is adequately anesthetized.

This patient's experience is typical for patients who report awareness. The patient remembers conversations and reports activity in the OR. It is also typical for patients to report psychological stress as a result of having felt pain during surgery. There is really no reason to doubt this fellow.

Without reviewing the anesthesia record it is impossible to determine if the anesthesiologist gave an adequate amount of anesthesia or not. I would also like to know if the BIS monitor is routinely used in Sweden.

Bottom line: Intraoperative awareness during routine surgery is very rare. One in thousands and thousands of patients. Frankly, it is not something I would worry about if I were scheduled for surgery. I would be much more concerned about the skill of both my surgeon and anesthesiologist.
08:04 April 24, 2012 by prince T
I am suprised dat pplle like krodman are not asking formthe race of the doctor involved. I presume krodman knows and it must have been a mistake. If it was d other way round, it will be another story.
09:23 April 25, 2012 by Flygger
@prince t Are you drunk or just unable to write a coherent sentence with correct spelling ?
11:14 April 25, 2012 by cogito
@krrodman (#9) I have heard from others that they are stingy with anesthesia in Sweden. Where in other nations an anesthetic is administered before, for example, a colonoscopy, in Sweden the patient is expected to grin and bear it.

Have myself frequently had to ask the dentist for a local anesthestic that would be routine elsewhere.
12:10 April 25, 2012 by SimonDMontfort
@cogito

They are 'stingy' with many things in Sweden!!

My experience of dealing with Swedes in a transaction, of any kind, is that you need to be aware, beforehand, of every last detail involved - because its usually a case of many many things NOT being included in the contract/price/treatment being offered.

Having said that, waking up during an operation is absolutely beyond the pale!!
16:18 April 25, 2012 by krrodman
@cogito

My experience with Swedish medicine is that they are stingy with money. I can predict accurately how Sweden will approach a medical problem. They will choose the option that entails spending the least amount of money.

You are correct when you say that in Sweden colonoscopies and upper endoscopies are performed without anesthesia. Having a colonoscopy without anesthesia feels like someone kicked you in the stomach. Uncomfortable, but nothing like having a surgical incision without anesthesia. In the States everyone gets anesthesia for these procedures at considerable expense.
02:06 April 26, 2012 by Jeff10
I've had a similar experience - once (and just once) I woke up while having sex.
15:32 April 27, 2012 by james_g
Is anesthesiologist a new word to replace anaesthetist? Syllable inflation...
17:17 April 27, 2012 by tadchem
I congratulate him. He now has a benchmark of pain that will allow him to withstand the future pains life will bring him as minor inconveniences.

"What does not kill me makes me stronger." - Friedrich Nietzsche
23:08 April 29, 2012 by Da Goat
@ Prince T

You are an idiot and not helping to dispel the evolutionary myth about some people being less evolved!

yes this poor guy is unfortunate but nothing can be done in hindsight!
ADD YOUR COMMENT   (YOU MUST LOG IN OR REGISTER TO MAKE A COMMENT)
Today's headlines
Unrest in Stockholm
Stockholm's not burning

Stockholm's not burning

With international media swooping on the Stockholm riots from every angle, The Local's Oliver Gee explains why Stockholm is not burning, and how the story has been blown out of proportion. READ () »

Unrest in Stockholm
Stockholm riots: causes and consequences

Stockholm riots: causes and consequences

After five nights of rioting throughout the outskirts of Stockholm, many in Sweden and elsewhere are trying to make sense of it all. The Local spoke to a mix of commentators and local politicians to get their views. READ () »

Swedish firms 'clueless' about foreign graduates

Swedish firms 'clueless' about foreign graduates

As white-collar union Saco slammed Sweden for not helping well-educated foreigners into the labour market, The Local spoke to researcher Josefin Edström about the disconnect between foreign professionals and Swedish employers. READ () »

Unrest in Stockholm
US and UK issue travel warnings for Sweden

US and UK issue travel warnings for Sweden

The UK Foreign Office has issued a travel warning for Sweden after arsonists tore through several Stockholm suburbs, while Americans have been warned to stay out of the affected areas by their embassy. READ () »

Unrest in Stockholm
Swedish riot police to call in reinforcements

Swedish riot police to call in reinforcements

With Swedish police set to call in reinforcements in an attempt to get the now five-day-old wave of arson and vandalism under control, Sweden's image abroad may have been tarnished. READ () »

Think You Know Sweden?
Quiz: 'A Swedish city with a pulse'

Quiz: 'A Swedish city with a pulse'

For this week's secret location picture gallery quiz, we head to a city that's among the top 20 in terms of population size. Can you guess which one it is in nine clues? READ () »

Princess Madeleine 'not nervous' about wedding

Princess Madeleine 'not nervous' about wedding

Sweden's Princess Madeleine is "less nervous than she thought" about her impending walk down the aisle at Stockholm's Storkyrkan church to wed US financier Chris O'Neill. READ () »

'Tired' Swedes have less sex than ever: study

'Tired' Swedes have less sex than ever: study

Swedes are having less sex than ever before, a new survey has revealed, and their libidos appear to have waned too, prompting researchers to warn that "desire disorders" may be keeping Swedes from getting intimate. READ () »

More National

 

RECEIVE OUR NEWSLETTER AND ALERTS
 

 

Highlights
DoToday
LIFESTYLE »
What's On:The Local's guide to upcoming attractions and events in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö
www.finest.se
GALLERY »
People-watching May 20-23
Erik Bloom
LIFESTYLE »
Stockholm's ten best-kept secrets - revealed
Fredrik Sanberg/Scanpix (File)
OPINION »
'The future of freedom on the internet is at stake'
Peter Håkansson/Swedish Fashion Council
SOCIETY »
Fashion prize turns Rookies into players
La Neta
LIFESTYLE »
My Swedish Career: We talk to the founder of Stockholm's favourite Mexican restaurant chain - La Neta
Leif R Jansson/Scanpix
NATIONAL »
Riot police 'resorted to racial slurs' in Husby
Scanpix
SPORT »
Sweden win ice hockey world champs at home
Scanpix
SPORT »
Swedes sweep top French football awards
fastighetsbyrån.se
GALLERY »
Property of the Week: Check out this funky three-room apartment on the Stockholm island of Södermalm
Scanpix
GALLERY »
Sweden win Ice Hockey World Championships. See the celebrations in Stockholm
Scanpix
GALLERY »
Youths burn 100 cars in north Stockholm riots
Finest.se scanpix.se
GALLERY »
People-watching: Nightlife, Ice Hockey Gold celebrations, the royal family... You name it, this week's gallery has it
WikiCommons
BUSINESS & MONEY »
Solna voted best place to live in Sweden
Scanpix
TRAVEL »
Quiz - Think You Know Sweden? This week we head to one of Sweden's ten biggest towns. But which one?
Scanpix
LIFESTYLE »
Eurovision host: 'Not everyone has to like me'
Scanpix
LIFESTYLE »
Denmark wins Eurovision 2013 in Malmö
Paul Hansen/World Press Photo
SOCIETY »
Award-winning Swedish photographer cleared of manipulation
Scanpix
NATIONAL »
A Congolese-Swedish pastor explains the roots to recent cases of parents exorcising demons from their children in Sweden
File photo: AP
NATIONAL »
H&M backs Bangladesh building safety accord
Scanpix
GALLERY »
Eurovision: second semi-final entries
Screenshot: American Apparel
SOCIETY »
Swedes slam American Apparel over 'sexist' ads
Hasse Holmberg/Scanpix (File)
BUSINESS & MONEY »
Housing crunch forces more young Swedes to live with mum and dad
Asif Akbar/sxc.hu (File)
OPINION »
'Not all discrimination in Sweden is racism'
Lana Wimmer
GALLERY »
Hidden Stockholm Gems: Ulriksdal's Palace
Sex in Sweden: condoms optional - study
SOCIETY »
Sex in Sweden: condoms optional - study
AP (File)
POLITICS »
Russia 'lacks capacity' to attack Sweden: Reinfeldt
fastighetsbyrån.se
GALLERY »
Property of the Week: This week, we're looking inside a home from the 1700s just west of Stockholm. Complete with two cannons.
Scanpix (File)
OPINION »
JobTalk: Top ten tips for earning a higher salary in Sweden
Eddie Gee
LIFESTYLE »
Check out the back catalogue of all The Local's Swedes of the Week
Photo: The Local
SPONSORED ARTICLE
Stockholm International School - what’s in IT for students?

 

Latest news from The Local in Germany

More news from Germany at thelocal.de

Latest news from The Local in France

More news from France at thelocal.fr

Latest news from The Local in Norway

More news from Norway at thelocal.no

Latest news from The Local in Switzerland

More news from Switzerland at thelocal.ch

Search News


Register

Register now for:
> Free use of noticeboard
> Special discounts
> Weekly news roundup
> Unlimited use of discuss

REGISTER FOR FREE »


Blog Update: Stripes News

21 May 21:34

WEEK 21 »

"A week full to the brim with LFC football…. Div 5 LFC match against Nåjdens FK has been moved. This is due to the Svenska Cupen final: 26 May, 17.00 kick off, Nationalarenan Friends Arena, Solna. Next match is on Tuesday (see below). ………………………………………………………… Friday: Div5 Ladies: Rotebro IS FF – Långholmen FC (Skinnaråsens IP) KO: 16.15 ………………………………………………………… Saturday: Vets: Långholmen FC – IFK..." READ »

Therapy in English
Expat counsellor & talk therapist offers counselling for stress, relationship issues, sexuality, culture adjustment & life coaching. Private & confidential. Stockholm or Skype. Contact me today! 08-559 22 636 or
CLICK HERE
Holiday Luxury Villa in Portugal
Casa Birgitta in Algarve, Portugal. Reduced price in best location. Private estate on white sand beach. All amenities included. Book here today! edward_george1@hotmail.com
The Local's new Marketplace
Find products and services that are specifically focused on English speakers living in Sweden!
FULL DETAILS
Counseling in English
Individuals & Couples - Stockholm Beth Rogerson PhD - Clinical, Marriage & Family Therapist
Click or call 08-5580 1266 now
Trade binary options
Create an account with Banc De Binary, the world’s most reputable binary options firm, and start cashing in today! You can start by practicing with our free $50,000 demo account.
www.bbinary.com