- Alexandra Bythell went into hospital to have her appendix removed
- She remembers being put to sleep but says she then came around
- She woke up before the surgery started with tubes down her throat
- Because of the drugs she had been given, was unable to alert anyone
- She then went back to sleep before the operation started properly
- She now suffers from panic attacks, nightmares and anxiety
- She has just received compensation from East Lancashire Hospitals Trust
07:54 EST, 15 April 2014
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09:54 EST, 15 April 2014
A mother has been awarded compensation after she woke up just minutes before surgery to remove her appendix.
Alexandra Bythell, 36, says she suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after waking with tubes down her throat and tape across her eyes as surgery was about to start.
Because of the medication she had been given, she was unable to move to alert anyone.
She claims the mistake happened because staff failed to check that there was enough anaesthetic in a machine.
Alexandra Bythell says she woke up during surgery to remove her appendix and that she now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder as a consequence
Mrs Bythell, a nurse from Burnley in Lancashire, said the incident was so traumatic that she has suffered flashbacks, nightmares, panic attacks and anxiety issues ever since.
She has now called on the NHS trust responsible to ensure lessons are learned from her ordeal.
She has also won an undisclosed settlement after the East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust apologised and admitted that staff failed to check the levels on the anaesthetic machine – leaving her panicking and fearing for her life as she awoke while being prepared for surgery.
Mrs Bythell, who lives with her husband Robert, 38, and her young daughter, said she has struggled to return to work fully since the incident as she suffered from severe PTSD.
Her lawyers said the payout will now cover her lost earnings and the therapy she has needed to help her manage her ongoing psychological problems.
Mrs Bythell said: ‘The whole incident was terrifying. The body isn’t prepared to be awake in those situations, I had tubes in my mouth and my eyes were taped up – I was hysterical with panic but completely unable to do anything about it.Â
Mrs Bythell believes the incident occurred because staff at the Royal Blackburn Hospital failed to check if there was enough of the anaesthetic drug still in the machine administering it
‘I thought I was in surgery already and I felt like I was going to die.
‘Afterwards I tried to explain to the staff what happened but felt that I was being fobbed off with excuses and was constantly given the wrong information – first it was hallucinations, then it was a faulty machine.
‘It was incredibly distressing to find out that this was all caused by somebody not checking the machine actually had gas in it.
‘When it first happened I was absolutely traumatised. I just hope improvements are made to the anaesthetic process so they don’t let this happen to anyone else – I would hate for people to suffer what I have.’
HOW CAN SOMEONE WAKE UP DURING SURGERY?
Anaesthetics are used during tests and surgical procedures to induce sleep and to prevents pain and discomfort.
General anaesthetics are used with the aim of leaving the patient completely unconscious and unaware of the procedure.
Anaesthetics work by blocking the signals sent along the nerves to the brain.
These nerves are bundles of tiny fibres that use signals to pass information around the body.
Anaesthetics stop the nerve signals that keep people awake from reaching the brain.
Once it wears off, the person will regain consciousness and feeling will return.
Common side effects include nausea and vomiting, dizziness, feeling cold, headaches and other aches and pains.
In very rare cases, they can cause anaphylactic shock, permanent paralysis and even death.
Several studies have also suggested that up to one or two patients in every 1,000 wake up during their operation.
However,
an audit for the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) and the
Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland (AAGBI)
revealed last year that the figure could be more like one in every
15,000.
It is thought
most cases involve the patient being aware when they are being prepared
for the operation or when the operation itself has finished – rather
than during the actual operation.
This
can occur because anaesthetists have to carefully balance giving a
patient enough of the drug to put them to sleep without giving them so
much it is harmful.
Mrs Bythell was first told by doctors at Burnley General Hospital’s AE she needed her appendix removed in September 2010 after suffering from abdominal pains whilst working as a psychiatric nurse.
On the day of surgery, which took place at Royal Blackburn Hospital, she was taken to the anaesthetic room and told she would be put to sleep and that she should count backwards from 10.
She said she remembers starting to count, but then believes she must have fallen asleep as the next thing she remembers is being wide awake while hospital staff were working around her, preparing for surgery.
Her eyes were taped over, she had breathing tubes in her throat and, believing she had woken up mid-surgery, she began to panic as she could hear machines beeping and hear the medical personnel talking around her.
She tried to alert the staff but she was unable to move because the drugs staff had administered paralysed her and she could hear them speaking about her size and weight.
She then felt someone poking and prodding at her abdomen before there was a shout for more morphine and she fell back asleep.
A Critical Incident Report by the hospital later concluded that it was human error in not checking a vaporiser, which was empty, rather than a fault on the machine.
The anaesthetist subsequently wrote to Mrs Bythell to apologise and the NHS Trust admitted they were at fault and that she had suffered ‘anaesthetic awareness’.
Sarah Sharples, an expert medical lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, said: ‘What happened to Alexandra is totally unacceptable. This was supposed to be a routine surgical procedure and she should have woken up after surgery safe in the knowledge that everything had gone well and she would make a full recovery.
‘Instead she woke up paralysed, thinking that she was actually in theatre and thinking that she was about to die.
‘She was left distraught over what had happened and why she had effectively woken up.
‘The experience has had a massive effect on Alexandra psychologically. She put her trust in NHS staff but sadly on this occasion she was let down.
‘It is crucial that the NHS Trust learns from this mistake and ensures that it cannot happen again.
‘This was not a faulty machine. This was a simple avoidable human error and it is crucial that systems are introduced to stop this happening again.’
Mrs Bythell was off work for a few months, eventually returning to work in January 2011, as she sought help for her PTSD.
Mrs Bythell has now received compensation from the hospital trust to cover her lost earnings and to pay for her post-traumatic stress disorder treatment (file picture)
She then had to learn to cope with panic attacks and feelings of anxiety on a daily basis.
Throughout her recovery Mrs Bythell has suffered a number of relapses which have left her unable to work for a time.
Anaesthetics are used during tests and surgical procedures to induce sleep and to prevents pain and discomfort.
General anaesthetics are used with the aim of leaving the patient completely unconscious and unaware of the procedure.
Anaesthetics work by blocking the signals sent along the nerves to the brain.
These nerves are bundles of tiny fibres that use signals to pass information around the body.
Anaesthetics stop the nerve signals that keep people awake from reaching the brain.
Once it wears off, the person will regain consciousness and feeling will return.
The trust has admitted that it was at fault and the anaesthetist wrote to Mrs Bythell to apologise (file picture)
Common side effects include nausea and vomiting, dizziness, feeling cold, headaches and other aches and pains.
In very rare cases, they can cause anaphylactic shock, permanent paralysis and even death.
Several studies have also suggested that up to one or two patients in every 1,000 wake up during their operation.
However, an audit for the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) and the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland (AAGBI) revealed last year that the figure could be more like one in every 15,000.
It is thought most cases involve the patient being aware when they are being prepared for the operation or when the operation itself has finished – rather than during the actual operation.
This can occur because anaesthetists have to carefully balance giving a patient enough of the drug to put them to sleep without giving them so much it is harmful.
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The comments below have been moderated in advance.
Janet49,
Clinton,
32 minutes ago
In 1978, I too, awoke while having surgery for an ectopic pregnancy. I have never forgotten that frightening experience. No-one believed me! However, I don’t think I have suffered any kind of trauma until now, realizing I could have had compensation!
76 radiofix,
the Sarf,
33 minutes ago
36? No way!!!!
mike,
Tokyo,
34 minutes ago
Dear dear, get over it woman. Now you’ve got the compo you can stop singing to the papers.
Oflife,
Oxford, United Kingdom,
35 minutes ago
Hope an accident like this happens to me, so I can use the money to secretly buy a 52? Curved 4K TV, Sony tablet and a BMW. Get over it woman! When I was a lad, we moved on. No wonder the NHS is broke!
Janet49,
Clinton,
47 minutes ago
In 1978, I too, awoke while having surgery for an ectopic pregnancy. I have never forgotten that frightening experience. No-one believed me! However, I don’t think I have suffered any kind of trauma until now, realizing I could have had compensation!
silentmajority,
Reigate Surrey,
55 minutes ago
This is my worst nightmare. I terrified of waking up during surgery.
Mercedes,
London, United Kingdom,
57 minutes ago
Horrific, poor lady. That’s my exact nightmare……*shivers*
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