Yeovil Hospital agrees patient not properly anaesthetised

The patient said she has nightmares three days a week after feeling pain during her operation
A hospital has admitted liability after a patient was not properly anaesthetized during her operation.
The patient wanted to remain anonymous but said she had "recurring nightmares" after feeling her skin being cut during the surgery at Yeovil Hospital in 2018.
Her solicitor said the surgeon had expressed surprise the woman had been given a spinal anaesthetic rather than general for the gynaecological surgery.
The hospital trust said: "We are sorry if this patient suffered any distress."
The trust has accepted liability but a settlement has yet to be reached.
Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: "It appears that a breakdown of communication led to the use of a different anaesthetic to that normally required for such an operation.
"However, this case is yet to be resolved with the claimant and we will therefore not discuss this further."
The woman underwent gynecological surgery under spinal anaesthesia at Yeovil Hospital in July 2018 but "suffered awareness of painful surgical stimuli" during the procedure.
She said when the surgeon "made a cut in my belly button which I immediately felt", she had "screamed out but no-one took any notice because I had an oxygen mask on".
"I have been suffering with nightmares which are horrendous," the woman said. "I have a re-occurring image of lying on the operating table, screaming with lots of people around me watching and no-one helps me.
"I estimate that I wake up around to three times per week sweating and very fearful."
Her solicitor Elise Burvill, from Irwin Mitchell, said: "My client was wheeled into the operating theatre under a spinal anesthetic only.
"The surgeon expressed surprise that she was awake for that type of procedure - it was not something he'd seen before. This obviously added to her fear and anxiety, which was exacerbated when she started to feel pain during the procedure.
"It's admitted that they could and should have put her under a general anesthetic at that point to avoid any further pain and trauma."

Vocabularies

1.    Anesthetic
noun
a substance that induces insensitivity to pain.

2.    Horrendous
adjective
extremely unpleasant, horrifying, or terrible.

3.    Gynecological
Adjective
relating to the branch of physiology and medicine which deals with the functions and diseases specific to women and girls, especially those affecting the reproductive system.

4.    Liability
noun
the state of being responsible for something, especially by law.

5.    Stimuli
noun
a thing or event that evokes a specific functional reaction in an organ or tissue.

Discussions

1. Pretend that you are in the situation where you are not properly anesthetized. How would you feel?

2. What type of surgery did this woman have?

3. What did the hospital trust said to the woman?

4. What type of anesthetic should have done to the women? 

5. Do you know anyone who has been traumatized from the surgery procedure?