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Is anesthesia dangerous?

Date:
July 21, 2011
Source:
Deutsches Aerzteblatt International
Summary:
In pure numerical terms, anesthesia-associated mortality has risen again. The reasons for this are the disproportionate increase in the numbers of older and multimorbid patients and surgical procedures that would have been unthinkable in the past, according to new research.
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In pure numerical terms, anesthesia-associated mortality has risen again. The reasons for this are the disproportionate increase in the numbers of older and multimorbid patients and surgical procedures that would have been unthinkable in the past. This is the result of a selective literature review of André Gottschalk's working group at the Bochum University Hospital in the current issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International.

In the 1940s, anesthesia-related mortality was 6.4/10,000. By introducing safety standards such as pulse oximetry and capnometry, the rate was reduced to 0.4/100,000 by the late 1980s. This value still applies for patients without relevant systemic disease. However, mortality has risen in patients with relevant comorbidities (0.69/100,000). Such comorbidities include heart failure, angina pectoris, chronic renal failure, or severe malignant hypertension. Because of improved safety standards such patients can have surgery nowadays -- something that would have been unthinkable in the past owing to their multimorbidity. Another factor explaining anesthesia-related mortality is the fact that the proportion of patients who are older than 65 rose in Germany from 28.8% in 2005 to 40.9% in 2009.


Story Source:

Materials provided by Deutsches Aerzteblatt International. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Gottschalk A, Van Aken H, Zenz M, Standl T. Is anesthesia dangerous? Dtsch Arztebl Int, 2011; 108(27): 469%u201374 DOI: 10.3238/arztebl.2011.0469

Cite This Page:

Deutsches Aerzteblatt International. "Is anesthesia dangerous?." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 21 July 2011. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110721112627.htm>.
Deutsches Aerzteblatt International. (2011, July 21). Is anesthesia dangerous?. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 28, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110721112627.htm
Deutsches Aerzteblatt International. "Is anesthesia dangerous?." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110721112627.htm (accessed March 28, 2024).

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