The patient became conscious shortly after the surgery and was able to respond to questions.

conscious 是形容词，意思是"有意识的、清醒的"，来自拉丁语词根 con-（表示"完全"）和 scire（知道），组合起来表示"完全知道的状态"，即"清醒的意识状态"。在医学语境中常指病人从麻醉或昏迷中恢复知觉的状态。