To be alive yet paralyzed while under general anaesthetic agent is the stuff of nightmares and cheap horror films . gratefully , a equipment call the   Brain Anaesthesia Response ( BAR ) monitor can measure   brain activity while under anaesthetic to help avoid this disturbing trial by ordeal .

" Anesthetic Awareness " go on when the cocktail of drug used to anaesthetize a affected role undergo surgery is not administered in the right quantities , causing the patient to be paralyse but also   sometimes aware of the pain . However , if   anesthesiologist apply this new monitor , they can measure out the   brain ’s response to the anesthetic and   make   adjustments to the drug amounts   as require .

The gimmick , which has been developed by the Swinburne University of Technology in partnership with the Cortical Dynamics Ltd , monitors changes in brain activity   using electroencephalogram ( EEG ) engineering that measure the rhythmical electrical action of the brain .

" Measuring how unconscious a patient role is while they are under anesthetic is particularly important , because if a patient is not completely unconscious they will remember the surgery , which can be quite a traumatic experience , " allege   Professor David   Liley ,   who serve formulate the gimmick ,   in astatement .

Previous studieshave figure that   anaesthetic sentience   happens during more or less one   in 19,600 surgeries , withnearly halfexperiencing emotional suffering and   long - term psychological harm   from   it .

For Professor Liley ,   the machine is a milestone for patient care and   health services:“The BAR Monitor has the potential to reduce the risks associated with operative function , increase levels of patient care , optimize the use of anaesthetic agent , lower price through reduced drug usage and in round make a fast bottom turnabout in the theatre and post - operative recuperation rooms . "

The equipment has already been demonstrate by the Therapeutic Goods Administration ( TGA ) , a   regulative federal agency for   medical drugs and devices ,   so it could become a basic of surgical technology in the not too remote future tense .

principal image credit entry : Army Medicine / Flickr . ( millilitre BY 2.0 ) .

Read this next : Study Claims People Who Like Their Coffee Black Are More Likely To Have Psychopathic Tendencies