Young man with disability fully awake through operation because anaesthetic didn’t work

A 25-year-old man with a disability was awake throughout a “very uncomfortable” operation because he was unable to communicate to doctors that the anaesthetic hadn’t worked.

Corey Burke, from Queensland, spoke of his ordeal as part of the Disability Royal Commission on Tuesday.

Corey has an intellectual disability and would normally have a mentor accompanying him.

But doctors asked the mentor to leave the room, leaving Corey on his own.

‘Still conscious’

“I was still conscious and…