Hollywood movie called "awake"

WVUturtle514 · Feb 25, 2006

Producer Joana Vicente told Variety that "Awake" "will do to surgery what 'Jaws' did to swimming in the ocean." Filming is expected to begin next month.

And they are actually proud of this? I am appalled. Well, with everything else the ASA gets its panties all bunched up over, surely this will be next on their list.....but this time, rightly so. I am just kind of shocked right now.....:angryfire

nialloh, RN · Feb 25, 2006

Like people need more to fear before surgery.:angryfire

EricTAMUCC-BSN, BSN, RN · Feb 25, 2006

Hollywood is a joke, that group of psychotic attention seekers has stereotyped me and my coworkers.

SFCardiacRN · Feb 25, 2006

I worked at a hospital where a couple of patients claimed to be aware during surgery. One was even able to repeat a joke told during the surgery. It turned out that an OR tech was switching pre-filled fentanyl syringes with sterile saline and only the muscle relaxant was being used! A couple of huge lawsuits ended the practice of pharmacy filled syringes in anesthesia "tackle boxes".

Nitecap · Feb 25, 2006

I worked at a hospital where a couple of patients claimed to be aware during surgery. One was even able to repeat a joke told during the surgery. It turned out that an OR tech was switching pre-filled fentanyl syringes with sterile saline and only the muscle relaxant was being used! A couple of huge lawsuits ended the practice of pharmacy filled syringes in anesthesia "tackle boxes".

What were they doing an all opiod case?

rn29306 · Feb 25, 2006

I worked at a hospital where a couple of patients claimed to be aware during surgery. One was even able to repeat a joke told during the surgery. It turned out that an OR tech was switching pre-filled fentanyl syringes with sterile saline and only the muscle relaxant was being used! A couple of huge lawsuits ended the practice of pharmacy filled syringes in anesthesia "tackle boxes".

Not to knock this story or you personally, but some details seem a little off like Nitecap stated. Only a moron in this day and age of anesthetic development would choose a narcotic and paralytic technique on a regular basis for general cases. Maybe on a sick heart once and a while or in an absolute trauma, but unlikely enough to have 'several instances'. An experienced practitioner should immediately see that no fentanyl being administered by seeing ANS upheaval on intubation, cut time, or shortly thereafter.

Not cool in any book but this should have been detected before a patient woke up stating recall. I guess it may be possible given a patient on a healthy dose of beta blockers, but a bad situation nonetheless.

SFCardiacRN · Feb 25, 2006

This was 30 years ago. It was student CRNA's giving the anesthetic. No one believed the patients until a doctors wife was able to recall intra-op jokes being made (not to mention extreme pain). Shortly after that, the tech got caught stealing the narcotics. http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2004-10-06-waking-up_x.htm This link shows it is still a potential problem (though rare).

rn29306 · Feb 25, 2006

This was 30 years ago. It was student CRNA's giving the anesthetic. No one believed the patients until a doctors wife was able to recall intra-op jokes being made (not to mention extreme pain). Shortly after that, the tech got caught stealing the narcotics. http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2004-10-06-waking-up_x.htm This link shows it is still a potential problem (though rare).

Not cool at all.

LanaBanana · Feb 25, 2006

I saw a show on discovery health one time about patients who were awake but paralyzed during surgery. One of the women is now suffering from PTSD and barely can leave her house. Most of the patients on the show were in Europe. For patients who have experienced this in the past, there was a technique shown on the show that allows their whole body to receive the paralytic except one arm. Then periodically during the surgery, they would say "if you can hear us, wiggle your right hand." If they wiggled their hand, they would be given additional medication.

I can't imagine going through this!

Nitecap · Feb 25, 2006

The ASA is aware and has offered to assist the producers in potraying an accurate case ect and make it realistic. Hopefully the ASA doesnt screw us and make the provider a CRNA instead of a Anesthesiologist. Wouldnt expect anything less though. So far from what I have heard the producers have requested little if any help from the ASA. Hopefully the film flops and not to much publicity is created. Jessica though is a site to see.

Sure she will be on all the big talk shows to promote the film so hopefully they invite anesthesia providers ect to represent the professions and explain better what may have happended as well as awareness risks.

When the movie comes out we will all just have to take a deep breath and hope for a few things:

1- that people dont buy the movie that much

2-that the movie flops

3- that it is portrayed inaccuratly like say John Q with the pt talking intubated

4-That the ASA doesnt try to use the negative publicity to somehow spin it to hurt the image of Nurse Anesthesia

Best thing to do here is educate all you know on your profession and the risks of awareness. Educated folks is not what we are worried about its the uneducated as far as anesthesia goes that buy the movie and freak out.

jwk · Feb 25, 2006

Well, with everything else the ASA gets its panties all bunched up over, surely this will be next on their list.....

Hopefully the ASA doesnt screw us and make the provider a CRNA instead of a Anesthesiologist.

Y'all just can't help yourselves, can you?