Experience of awareness with recall during general anesthesia can be most distressing for patients. The psychological sequelae of subsequent recall of intraoperative events have been highlighted recently, but the incidence of awareness with recall is uncertain.

Randomly selected 451 patients, who received elective operation under general anesthesia and were able to communicate with anesthesiologists and follow up for 5 days between December 1995 and February 1996 at Korea Cancer Center Hospital, were interviewed on the 2nd day after their operation.

The incidence of explicit memory for events during general anesthesia has been estimated at 0.4% by interviewing patients postoperatively. Auditory perception and the sensation of paralysis were most frequently mentioned. 1.1% of patients had been dreaming during general anesthesia.

Under the influence of anesthetic drugs, the brain is capable of limited processing of information and memory function. Everyone in the operating room must be mindful of conversations during the course of anesthesia and all patients should be given an opportunity to discuss any awareness in detail.