In rare cases, about 35,000 times a year, patients wake up during surgery and become aware of their surroundings - including the pain. In most operating rooms today, knowing when a patient is waking up is an art that tests the skills of the anesthesiologist. Anesthesia is often referred to as putting a patient to sleep, but that simple description doesn't begin to tell the delicate nature of the risky practice. Anesthesiologists liken the job to flying a jumbo jet. If the patient's medical problems are complex and the surgery is challenging, the flight through anesthesia can be a stormy ride.
Some procedures are quick and less painful and require less anesthesia.
Some require more. When surgeons touch the bowel, for instance, it sends a pain message hundreds of times stronger than the worst stomach cramps. It's not uncommon for an anesthetized patient to buck on the table. Anesthesiologists administer drugs that bring about hypnosis, paralysis and pain relief. They cause a patient's body to fall into a potentially fatal slumber.