Waking up during surgery – it’s terrifying to think about. But it does happen. There is evidence that around 5 per cent of people may experience so-called anaesthesia awareness at some point on the operating table, though not everyone remembers it.

Living through such an event can be traumatic and painful. So what can be done to prevent it?

Anaesthetists have a few tools that can open a channel of communication while a patient is paralysed by neuromuscular blocking drugs.

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