Paranormal Sightings after General Anaesthesia
Farah Nur Tedin Ng, Nur Sabrina Md Ali, S.D. St. Peter
Compendium of Oral Science March 1, 2025 DOI: 10.24191/cos.v12i1.5671 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | A 61-year-old woman with impending Ludwig's angina who underwent incision and drainage under general anaesthesia |
| Duration | Symptoms fully remitted on postoperative day 5 |
| Key findings | The authors report a rare case of hypnagogic hallucinations after general anaesthesia for incision and drainage of impending Ludwig's angina. The patient experienced vivid visual hallucinations of people doing chores when closing her eyes at night, which resolved immediately on opening her eyes and fully remitted by postoperative day 5. They note only three previously documented cases of hypnagogic hallucinations after general anaesthesia, following cardiovascular and orthopaedic surgery, and state that the underlying cause remains unknown. |
Abstract
Hypnagogic hallucinations are visual, auditory, tactile, or other sensory events that are not actually present, experienced during hypnagogia, a period of transition from wakefulness to sleep. These hallucinations were reported to be brief and mostly visual in nature. We hereby report a rare incidence of this phenomenon occurring in a 61-year-old woman presented with impending Ludwig’s angina at our centre. She began experiencing hypnogogic hallucinations when she started to doze off at night after an incision and drainage procedure was carried out under general anaesthesia earlier that day. Upon closing her eyes, she had a clear view of people moving around performing chores. The events were so vivid that she was convinced they were of paranormal origin, which subsequently led to sleep deprivation. These hallucinations immediately disappeared simply by opening her eyes. She eventually sought psychiatric treatment, and the symptoms gradually decreased with full remission on postoperative day 5. Her daily appetite and behaviour were normal throughout her hospital stay. Although postoperative sleep disturbances are often described, hypnagogic hallucinations post-general anaesthesia were documented in only three cases to date following cardiovascular and orthopaedic surgery. To date, the aetiopathophysiology of this type of visual hallucination remains to be unravelled.