Over a dozen patients ‘woke up during surgery’

More than a dozen Irish patients have woken up or been conscious but unable to move during surgery in the past year because anaesthetic drugs failed to work.

The incidents — which have led to post-traumatic stress and a small number of lawsuits — will be revealed later today as part of the largest ever probe into the issue.

According to a three-year joint study by the Royal College of Anaesthetists and the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland, between 2011 and 2014, more than 300 people suffered “accidental awareness” during surgery across both countries.