Frequency of anesthetic cardiac arrest and death in the operating room at a single general hospital over a 30-year period.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the anesthetic cardiac arrest (CA) and death rates in the operating room (OR) and to determine whether anesthetic CA and death are preventable.


METHODS
Prospective study.


METHODS
OR suite of a general teaching hospital.


METHODS
85,708 patients undergoing surgery over a 30-year period.


RESULTS
Anesthetic CAs and deaths were identified, their causes and preventability were determined on the day of occurrence, and they were recorded over the years 1962 to 1992. Four anesthetic CAs (0.5 arrest per 10,000 anesthetics) and 1 death (0.1 death per 10,000 anesthetics) occurred during the 30-year study period.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of 30 years' experience do not support the hypothesis that all anesthetic CAs and deaths are preventable. However, careful clinical management can reduce their frequency to a level lower than those reported in the referenced literature.
Kubota
Y
Y
Department of Anesthesia, Osaka Kohseinenkin Hospital, Japan.
Toyoda
Y
Y
Kubota
H
H
Ueda
Y
Y
Asada
A
A
Okamoto
T
T
Matsuura
H
H
Mori
H
H
Sasai
S
S
Hirose
I
I
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000768:Anesthesia, General / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000769:Anesthesia, Inhalation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000775:Anesthesia, Spinal / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017558:Elective Surgical Procedures; D005260:Female; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006769:Hospitals, General / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016343:Monitoring, Intraoperative / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009466:Neuromuscular Blocking Agents; D009873:Operating Rooms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011300:Preoperative Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011446:Prospective Studies
D009466:Neuromuscular Blocking Agents