What is anesthesia?

• American Association of Nurse Anesthetists
• Anesthesia (Wikipedia)
• CRNA Direct
• History of Anesthesia
• Anesthesia Nursing and Medicine Web Site
• Kaiser-Permanente Information about Anesthesia

What is "Awareness Under Anesthesia?"

With a new movie ("Awake.") being released tomorrow (November 30, 2007) There has been a response by numerous anesthesia professional groups to educate the public about the topic of awareness under anesthesia.

The American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) has this statement on their web site:

"Awake" is fictional entertainment that exploits anesthetic awareness as a plot device. Viewers should remember that while patient awareness under general anesthesia does occur, severe cases such as the one depicted in "Awake" are highly unusual."

A study by the American Society of Anesthesiologists states:

• "Anesthetic Awareness" links provided by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists
• Brochure from the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists and the American Society of Anesthesiologists PDF file.
• Patient Education Page from the American Society of Anesthesiologists