What percentage of surgeries allow a patient to be awake during the procedure?

JshWright · on Oct 25, 2015

There are quite a few, and it's always the best option when possible. Most of the complications you hear about from "routine surgery" relate to the management of the patient's airway while they are sedated. An awake patient can maintain their airway.

If you're interested in how these sorts of things can wrong, here's a well done reenactment of such a case: http://emcrit.org/misc/the-new-elaine-bromiley-videos/

HeyLaughingBoy · on Oct 25, 2015

Are you counting the ones where the patient, e.g., my wife, wakes up in the middle of surgery and tries to get off the table?

JshWright · on Oct 25, 2015

While that is certainly not a good thing, it is not as dangerous as a situation where the patient is unable to breathe and the anesthetist is not able to breathe for them.

ars · on Oct 25, 2015

If they can do a C-Section with the patient awake they can probably do almost anything that's below midlevel on the spine, or on the arms.

That's probably almost everything except heart or neck surgery. (Even brain surgery is usually done with the patient awake.)

copperx · on Oct 26, 2015

Isn't some brain surgery done awake?

lmm · on Oct 25, 2015

I've had neck surgery while awake.