Jun

5

Greetings and News from Wales

June 5, 2008

AANUK&I’s Facilitator for Wales, Meryl Davies has had a very active and productive few months, and brings us up to date with, among other things, some exciting news regarding a new consciousness monitoring device…..

Meryl Davies writes:

“Greetings from Wales! I am delighted to be acting as Wales facilitator for the Anaesthetic Awareness Network UK & Ireland. Having endured this awful experience twice, I am more than committed to the cause, and have had a busy few months:

“AWAKE” The Movie - and what happened next!

Well, it had to happen - “Anaesthetic Awareness” gets to be the central theme on the big screen! Knowledge of anaesthetic awareness will now be reaching a new audience, and those people will no doubt voice their concerns over the issues regarding awareness. On behalf of Welsh sufferers of anaesthetic awareness, I would like to thank Chris Lawrence of Icon Film Distribution Ltd for inclusion in the various ‘happenings’ - TV, Radio and press. This was a truly symbiotic pairing of film promotion and ‘awareness of awareness.’ At the Press showing of “Awake” in Cardiff, I finally got to meet June Carson (Blacker). June suffered anaesthetic awareness in 1994 and bravely went public with her details during litigation. My own legal case was running concurrently, and much as I wanted to join her campaign, I was dissuaded from doing so at this point by my legal team. I contacted June via her solicitor and we became telephone friends. On many occasions I was grateful for the support she offered, so it was good to finally meet the person who spearheaded the Welsh campaign to raise ‘awareness of awareness’.

Live TV and Radio interviews I always find to be ‘high alert’ occasions. When taking part in ‘This Morning’ and various other radio broadcasts, it was a real privilege to be interviewed alongside the erudite and elegant Professor Michael Wang. Michael’s expertise on the subject of awareness under anaesthesia is legendary - probably no-one on the planet knows more about how the anaesthetic awareness victim feels (particularly in pressure situations).

Television production

Student Adam Wilkinson, from the university of Teeside, contacted me, as he was planning to make a short film on anaesthetic awareness. I hope I was able to be of help. Certainly I was able to put him in contact with a victim of anaesthetic awareness who was prepared to share her story. Adam has promised to provide a copy of the finished project, and we can look forward to viewing and appreciating his efforts soon.

Depth of Anaesthesia and Awareness Monitoring - COGNITRACE

An article I wrote for the ‘Western Mail’ resulted in contact with Robin Davies of Cognitrace, who is involved with the development of a new anaesthetic awarness monitor. Robin has prepared the following statement for AANUK&I:

Based in Wales, UK, CogniTrace Ltd, headed by Robin Davies, has been incorporated with the key objective of developing, manufacturing and marketing an accurate Depth of Anaesthesia and Awareness monitor. It is the Awareness aspect that CogniTrace is focusing development on. With its R & D division collaborating with a leading University Hospital’s Anaesthesia and Brain Research and Imaging Departments, they will know within one year if their concept is proven.

This being the case will lead to a patented Awareness monitor coming onto the worldwide market within two years (i.e. late 2009/early 2010)

I, for one, will await with bated breath for the test results of this device. Robin has promised to keep the Network up to speed with progress.

News about Patient Safety

On 18th March 08 I attended the ‘Patients for Patient’s Safety Conference’ at the City Hospital Post-Graduate Centre, Birmingham. This venture, involving AVMA, NPSA and the NHS, was aimed at empowering patients in patient safety work. I left this conference feeling uplifted, since as one who has been damaged as much by ‘cover-up’ culture as medical negligence, I sensed the rustle of the winds of change.

The Patients for patient Safety initiative in England and Wales, and the development of the 2008 programme implementing Recommendation 13 of “Safety First” heralds, I feel, a fresh and long over-due approach.

On a more personal note…..

I was thrilled to attend this conference since it underlined my new-found freedom of being able to travel by train! Train-phobia was one of the many facets of PTSD which restricted my life. WELL - NO MORE! Anyone else out there, finding themselves similarly hampered - take heart!”

More news soon,

Hwyl,

Meryl