Table 5.

Responses considered to represent definite or possible cases of awareness during anaesthesia. Descriptions summarise the experience endorsed by the subject. Parentheses may include additional details relating the experience to events that occurred in the perioperative period. F, female; IFT, isolated forearm technique; M, male.

Age (yr) and sex	Induction drug	Surgery	Description	Interview reported	Determination	Reported dreams	IFT
31, F	Propofol	Segmental lung resection	Endorsed trying and being unable to speak. Remembered staff talking about the tissue and whether someone who was married or not. (Report correlated with tissue samples taken during surgery and OR conversation.)	In recovery, At 1 week	Definite	N	N
40, F	Propofol	Laparoscopic cholecystectomy	Endorsed the study team reading words and feeling pain with the incision. (The subject did not recall specific words or OR events.)	In recovery, At 1 week	Possible	Y	Y
21, M	Propofol	Laparoscopic appendectomy	Endorsed feeling warm gel on his stomach and a vague recollection of ‘being shaved on my stomach, but it felt different to how I shave my face – more like hairs being pulled out’. (The subject was prepped with cold prep and shaved before incision. The subject was unsure whether this was a dream.)	In recovery, At 1 week	Possible	Y	N
28, M	Propofol	Coblation of lingual tonsil	Endorsed a vague experience of someone holding his hand and caressing his head during surgery.	In recovery, At 1 week	Possible	Y	Y
28, F	Propofol	Laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy	Endorsed being asked to squeeze the hand of the research team ‘either just before or during surgery’.	In recovery	Possible	N	N
31, F	Propofol	Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy	Endorsed a vague memory of people above her and being unable to move. She felt aware that she was in surgery. The subject also described looking down at herself as she laid on the operating table.	In recovery, At 1 week	Possible	N	N