Patient Safety During Anesthesia: 100 Years of Progress Documented in Anesthesia & Analgesia

Abstract

Anesthesiology has evolved to be a leader in addressing patient safety. Our specialty has overcome serious morbidities including explosions, fires, organ toxicity, fatal arrhythmias, and hypoxic brain damage. Anesthesia safety has been significantly improved due to modern drug development, technical advances, and a strong leadership willing to apply human factors and systems’ research strategies, but patient safety concerns remain at the forefront as we strive to improve patient care even further. This year marks the centennial year since the publication of the first issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia. Today, the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS) and Anesthesia & Analgesia continue to advance the boundaries of patient safety by disseminating practice standards, serving as a forum for novel ideas, and supporting research advancements. This review will discuss several topics published in Anesthesia & Analgesia that exemplify steady changes leading to the safe practices that we rely on currently as well as other IARS activities that have advocated and elevated patient safety within the specialty.

Introductory Chapter: Modern Anesthesiology as a Unifying Force

“…An extraordinary breakthrough occurred in 1926 when Arthur Guedel introduced the concept of a cuffed endotracheal tube through his experiments with submerging dogs underwater and under anesthesia [9]. The 1930s also provided the initial foundations for the modern concept of morbidity and mortality conferences, as anesthesia docs set up meetings with the coroner to learn about patient deaths from anesthesia [4].…”

Celebrating the Centenary of Anesthesia & Analgesia

“…As outlined in the supplement, 19,20 progress in these areas has been immense, but there is also a cost, in both monetary terms and human resources. Anesthesiologists, like all medical practitioners, need to be discerning, to determine what is necessary and desirable in terms of monitoring, treatment options, and the uptake of technology.…”