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What are the chances of staying awake and not being able to move under anesthesia?
Jan 8, 2013

Dr. Kassem El-Houcheimi Orthopedic Surgery
All depends on the type of anesthesia, the amount given and other variables.
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Dr. Faek Jamali Surgery
This can happen if the anesthesiologist administers a muscle paralyzing agent but forgets to administer the anesthetic agent. This is extremely unlikely to happen using modern anesthesia as the anesthesiologist relies on several different mechanisms to ensure that the patient is asleep and not only paralyzed. They utilize intravenous medications in addition to inhalational gases to maintain anesthesia and prevent this from occurring. This has been frequently reported in the movies, however, it is extremely infrequent in real life.
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Dr. Mohamed Al Jazzar Anesthesiology
It is a known complication during general anesthesia. The incidence of awareness under anesthesia is variable. Usually it is rare; it depends on the surgical setting and the physiological status of the patient. For example, it is more frequent during anesthesia for traumatized people where the condition of the patient does not permit us to administer enough doses of anesthetics.
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