• C Leclerc, J L Gérard, and H Bricard.
• Département d'anesthésie-réanimation chirurgicale et de médecine d'urgence, centre hospitalier universitaire Côte-de-Nacre, 14033 Caen, France.
• Ann Fr Anesth Reanim. 2001 Aug 1;20(7):592-9.

ObjectivesMeasuring the incidence of intraoperative recall in our hospital.Study DesignProspective study.Patients And MethodsThree hundred and twenty-six patients who underwent a general anaesthesia for elective surgery on selected sites (general, urology, ORL, gynaecology and obstetrical, vascular and cardiac, thoracic) were interviewed on the first or the second postoperative day using a standard questionnaire. When recall was suspected, the anaesthetist was consulted and the anaesthetic record was looked at in order to evaluate the authenticity of any recollections.ResultsFour patients mentioned an anomaly evoking intra-operative recall. The reduction in the anaesthetic level would explain authentic recollection for one patient. The recollection of another patient could not be truly verified. The site was the same for these two cases and the anaesthetic protocol for digestive surgery comprised curare and droperidol. The recollections for the two other patients did not correspond to the intraoperative period. The incidence of this phenomenon on the totality of sites was 0.6 per cent.ConclusionThis result conforms to other studies. This phenomenon is a quality indicator, but probably under estimated. Although retrospective, this evaluation is quick and easy. This research in post-operative period should be systematic in order to find the reason and to propose an early course of action for these patients. An analysis of the anaesthetic protocol is necessary when the frequency of intraoperative recall is too high.

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