Letter #2 To Grey's Anatomy Producer From The ASA

December 11, 2009
Shonda Rhimes
Executive Producer, Grey’s Anatomy
Grey’s Anatomy Production Office
4151 Prospect Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90027

Dear Ms. Rhimes,

It has been brought to my attention that an upcoming episode of Grey’s Anatomy will include a storyline on the occurrence of anesthesia awareness, a very serious and rare event that can occur while a patient is under general anesthesia.
As President of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, and as a practicing physician anesthesiologist for 25 years, I am well aware of the rare occurrence of anesthesia awareness and the considerable effect it can have on patients. I wanted to write you to address this issue and implore that careful attention is paid to this topic as addressed in the upcoming episode.
While I understand that the characters and story lines presented in Grey’s Anatomy are fictional, many viewers take the medical situations portrayed in the show as true or “real” representations of medical treatment. For this reason, I believe it is important that occurrences of medical events like anesthesia awareness, however dramatic the story line may be, are presented in a factual light.
As you may know anesthesia awareness occurs when surgical patients can recall their surroundings or an event - and occasionally even pain related to their surgery. Awareness is a complication of only general anesthesia. Incidents of awareness are actually quite uncommon as 99.9 percent of patients under general anesthesia are completely unaware throughout their surgical experience. Anesthesiologists are the physician experts who monitor and treat patients under sedation and anesthesia before, during and after surgery.
While awareness is a rare event, its occurrence can be significant for many patients, even leading to the occurrence of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Anesthesiologists and the ASA recognize that awareness can be deeply troubling, though it is not always so.
I urge you to recognize that dramatizing awareness has the potential to alarm and inappropriately induce patients to avoid needed, and sometimes life-saving, surgical procedures. I urge you to consult with anesthesiologists and urge you to present the occurrence in the most medically factual context possible. More information from the ASA on anesthesia awareness can be found on www.lifelinetomodernmedicine.com. I am enclosing a draft copy of a newly updated patient brochure on the subject that may be of interest.
I would be happy to speak with you directly about anesthesia awareness or any medical questions related to anesthesia that you may have. I can be reached directly at 617-243-6031.

Sincerely,
Alexander Hannenberg, M.D.
President
The American Society of Anesthesiologists