Major incidents and complications in otherwise healthy patients undergoing elective procedures: results based on 1.37 million anaesthetic procedures

Abstract

This is the first study assessing severe incidents and complications from a national outcome-tracking database. Annual identification and review of cases, perhaps with standardized database queries in the respective departments, might provide more detailed information about the cascades that lead to unfortunate outcomes.

Fibreoptic vs videolaryngoscopic (C-MAC®D-BLADE) nasal awake intubation under local anaesthesia

“…As presented most recently in a multi-centre study, difficulties in airway management still contribute significantly to anaesthesia-related severe morbidity and mortality in otherwise healthy patients [21]. Therefore, research in airway management is desirable and has led to major improvements over the last decade.…”

Perioperative interventions and post‐operative outcomes

“…The risk of complications and death during the postoperative period is low in healthy patients [6]. But patients with the highest risk of developing postoperative complications representing 80% of intra-hospital deaths according to studies performed in the UK [2,7].…”

Concepts of safety reporting

“…Certains de ces IC sont des états physiologiques transitoires qui ne peuvent pas être classés sans détails supplémentaires. 11 Plutôt que de demander aux anesthésiologistes de signaler de tels IC pourquoi ne pas choisir des modifications physiologiques valant la peine d'être étudiées et collecter les données à partir du SGIA? Les anesthésiologistes pourraient alors être encouragés à rapporter des difficultés techniques ou des « problèmes » qui sont « rencontrés par tous » 7 et invités à répondre à cette question : « le patient en a-t-il subi ou failli subir des conséquences délétères pour sa santé?…”

“…Some of these CIs are transient physiological states that cannot be classified without supplementary details. 11 Rather than have anesthesiologists report such CIs, why not choose the physiologic changes worth studying and collect data from the AIMS? Anesthesiologists could then be encouraged to report technical difficulties or ''problems'' that are ''encountered by everyone'' 7 and to answer the question, ''Did the patient suffer or nearly suffer harm?''…”