Is anesthesia dangerous?
July 21, 2011 in OtherIn 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 (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2011; 108[27]: 469-74).
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 nowadayssomething 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.
More information: http://www.aerzteb … asp?id=96319
Provided by Deutsches Aerzteblatt International
-
Worse outcomes for older breast cancer patients with other health problems
Jun 30, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Study identifies patients at increased risk after bilateral knee replacement surgery
Jul 14, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Different treatment options in chronic coronary artery disease
Apr 27, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Defibrillators may have little benefit for older people with comorbidities
Mar 16, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Anemia associated with greater risk of death in heart disease patients
May 28, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Of mice and mental models: Neuroscientific implications of risk-optimized behavior in the mouse
1 hour ago |
not rated yet |
0
-
Limits to growth: Scientists identify key metastasis-enabling enzyme
May 22, 2012 |
5 / 5 (3) |
0
-
Seeing is as seeing does: Spatially-structured retinal input in early development of cortical maps
Apr 26, 2012 |
5 / 5 (4) |
1
-
Dreamless nights: Brain activity during nonrapid eye movement sleep
Apr 09, 2012 |
4.4 / 5 (12) |
0
-
Take your time: Neurobiology sheds light on the superiority of spaced vs. massed learning
Mar 28, 2012 |
4.5 / 5 (21) |
3
-
Classical and Quantum Mechanics via Lie algebras
Apr 15, 2011
- More from Physics Forums - Independent Research
More news stories
Pool access for the disabled sparks controversy
(AP) -- The Obama administration is sidestepping an election-year confrontation with the hotel industry and other pool owners to give them more time to comply with access rules for the disabled.
Other
2 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
Chile to cover sex change operations
Chile will soon cover sex change surgeries under its public health plan in order to allow citizens of limited means to "recover their true sexual identity," Health Minister Jaime Manalich said.
Other
2 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
Researcher calls for new approach to regulating probiotics
In today's Nature scientific journal Dr. Gregor Reid, Director of the Canadian R&D Centre for Probiotics at Lawson Health Research Institute and a scientist at Western University, calls for a Category Tree system to be imp ...
Other
22 hours ago |
not rated yet |
1
|
Professor conducting study to determine whether supplements help muscles grow
Nutritional supplements are often associated with athletes and body builders, but a University of Kansas professor is conducting a research project to determine whether they are in fact, effective and if they might be able ...
Other
May 24, 2012 |
not rated yet |
0
Researchers develop IT solution to help disabled make better wheelchair selections
A Wayne State University researcher has introduced computer technology that makes it easier for people who need wheelchairs to select one that best suits their needs.
Other
May 23, 2012 |
not rated yet |
0
Physicians definitively links irritable bowel syndrome and bacteria in gut
An overgrowth of bacteria in the gut has been definitively linked to Irritable Bowel Syndrome in the results of a new Cedars-Sinai study which used cultures from the small intestine. This is the first study to use this "gold ...
First study to suggest that the immune system may protect against Alzheimer's changes in humans
Recent work in mice suggested that the immune system is involved in removing beta-amyloid, the main Alzheimer's-causing substance in the brain. Researchers have now shown for the first time that this may apply in humans.
Phone contact with nurses linked with better outcomes for women with gestational diabetes
Among women with gestational diabetes mellitus, referral to a telephone-based nurse management program was associated with lower risk of high baby birth weight and increased postpartum glucose testing, according to Kaiser ...
Of mice and mental models: Neuroscientific implications of risk-optimized behavior in the mouse
(Medical Xpress) -- Regardless of an organism’s biological complexity, every encephalized animal continuously makes under-informed behavioral choices that can have serious consequences. Despite its ubiquity, ...
Questionable research practices surprisingly common
(Medical Xpress) -- Not all scientific misconduct is flat-out fraud. Much falls into the murkier realm of questionable research practices. A new study finds that in one field, psychology, these practices are surprisingly ...
Researchers identify key brain cell in antidepressant action
(Medical Xpress) -- Antidepressant medications such as Prozac have helped improve mood and lessen anxiety in millions of people with major depression. But scientists know surprisingly little about how these drugs work.