title: Frequency of anesthetic cardiac arrest and death in the operating room at a single general hospital over a 30-year period.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia, Osaka Kohseinenkin Hospital, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kubota
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Toyoda
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kubota
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ueda
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Asada
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsuura
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sasai
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hirose
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D009466:Neuromuscular Blocking Agents