Mortality in Anesthesia: A Systematic Review

This systematic review of the Brazilian and worldwide literature aims to evaluate the incidence and causes of perioperative and anesthesia-related mortality. Studies were identified by searching the Medline and Scielo databases, followed by a manual search for relevant articles. Our review includes studies published between 1954 and 2007. Each publication was reviewed to identify author(s), study period, data source, perioperative mortality rates, and anesthesia-related mortality rates. Thirty-three trials were assessed. Brazilian and worldwide studies demonstrated a similar decline in anesthesia-related mortality rates, which amounted to fewer than 1 death per 10,000 anesthetics in the past two decades. Perioperative mortality rates also decreased during this period, with fewer than 20 deaths per 10,000 anesthetics in developed countries. Brazilian studies showed higher perioperative mortality rates, from 19 to 51 deaths per 10,000 anesthetics. The majority of perioperative deaths occurred in neonates, children under one year, elderly patients, males, patients of ASA III physical status or poorer, emergency surgeries, during general anesthesia, and cardiac surgery followed by thoracic, vascular, gastroenterologic, pediatric and orthopedic surgeries. The main causes of anesthesia-related mortality were problems with airway management and cardiocirculatory events related to anesthesia and drug administration. Our systematic review of the literature shows that perioperative mortality rates are higher in Brazil than in developed countries, while anesthesia-related mortality rates are similar in Brazil and in developed countries. Most cases of anesthesia-related mortality are associated with cardiocirculatory and airway events. These data may be useful in developing strategies to prevent anesthesia-related deaths

Anesthesia-related mortality in pediatric patients: a systematic review

This systematic review of the Brazilian and worldwide literature aimed to evaluate the incidence and causes of perioperative and anesthesia-related mortality in pediatric patients. Studies were identified by searching EMBASE (1951-2011), PubMed (1966-2011), LILACS (1986-2011), and SciElo (1995-2011). Each paper was revised to identify the author(s), the data source, the time period, the number of patients, the time of death, and the perioperative and anesthesia-related mortality rates. Twenty trials were assessed. Studies from Brazil and developed countries worldwide documented similar total anesthesia-related mortality rates (<1 death per 10,000 anesthetics) and declines in anesthesia-related mortality rates in the past decade. Higher anesthesia-related mortality rates (2.4-3.3 per 10,000 anesthetics) were found in studies from developing countries over the same time period. Interestingly, pediatric perioperative mortality rates have increased over the past decade, and the rates are higher in Brazil (9.8 per 10,000 anesthetics) and other developing countries (10.7-15.9 per 10,000 anesthetics) compared with developed countries (0.41-6.8 per 10,000 anesthetics), with the exception of Australia (13.4 per 10,000 anesthetics). The major risk factors are being newborn or less than 1 year old, ASA III or worse physical status, and undergoing emergency surgery, general anesthesia, or cardiac surgery. The main causes of mortality were problems with airway management and cardiocirculatory events. Our systematic review of the literature shows that the pediatric anesthesia-related mortality rates in Brazil and in developed countries are similar, whereas the pediatric perioperative mortality rates are higher in Brazil compared with developed countries. Most cases of anesthesia-related mortality are associated with airway and cardiocirculatory events. The data regarding anesthesia-related and perioperative mortality rates may be useful in developing prevention strategies

Retrospective Analysis of Risk Factors and Predictors of Intraoperative Complications in Neuraxial Blocks at Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu-UNESP

SummaryBackground and objectivesCardiovascular changes associated with neuraxial blocks are a cause of concern due to their frequency and because some of them can be considered physiological effects triggered by the sympathetic nervous system blockade. The objective of this study was to evaluate intraoperative cardiovascular complications and predictive factors associated with neuraxial blocks in patients ≥ 18 years of age undergoing non-obstetric procedures over an 18-year period in a tertiary university hospital – HCFMB-UNESP.MethodsA retrospective analysis of the following complications was undertaken: hypertension, hypotension, sinus bradycardia, and sinus tachycardia. These complications were correlated with anesthetic technique, physical status (ASA), age, gender, and preoperative co-morbidities. The Tukey test for comparisons among proportions and logistic regression was used for statistical analysis.Results32,554 patients underwent neuraxial blocks. Intraoperative complications mentioned included hypotension (n=4,109), sinus bradycardia (n=1,107), sinus tachycardia (n=601), and hypertension (n=466). Hypotension was seen more often in patients undergoing continuous subarachnoid anesthesia (29.4%, OR=2.39), ≥ 61 years of age, and female (OR=1.27).ConclusionsIntraoperative hypotension and bradycardia were the complications observed more often. Hypotension was related to anesthetic technique (CSA), increased age, and female. Tachycardia and hypertension may not have been directly related to neuraxial blocks

Differences between the real and the desired worlds in the results of clinical trials

OBJECTIVE:We refer to the effectiveness (known as pragmatic or real world) and efficacy (known as explanatory or desired or ideal world) of interventions. However, these terms seem to be randomly chosen by investigators who design clinical trials and do not always reflect the true purpose of the study. A pragmatic-explanatory continuum indicator summary tool was thus developed with the aim of identifying the characteristics of clinical trials that distinguish between effectiveness and efficacy issues. We verified whether clinical trials used the criteria proposed by the indicator summary tool, and we categorized these clinical trials according to a new classification.METHOD:A systematic survey of randomized clinical trials was performed. We added a score ranging from 0 (more efficacious) to 10 (more effective) to each domain of the indicator summary tool and proposed the following classifications: high efficacy

Efeitos da dexmedetomidina nas respostas cardiovascular e de oxigenação sistêmica ao pinçamento aórtico infra-renal em cães sob anestesia com sevoflurano

A dexmedetomidina (Dex) tem efeito de simpatolise no sistema nervoso central e de inibicao da neurotransmissao nos nervos simpaticos. Assim, a Dex poderia suprimir o estado hiperdinamico do sistema cardiocirculatorio que ocorre durante a cirurgia da aorta. Em modelo de pincamento infra-renal da aorta (Aox) em caes sob anestesia com o sevoflurano, estudaram-se os efeitos cardiovasculares e de oxigenacao sistemica da Dex. Trinta caes foram submetidos a anestesia com sevoflurano, empregando-se 0,75 da concentracao alveolar minima (CAM) do halogenado, ventilados artificialmente e submetidos a Aox e despincamento aortico (DAox). Os animais foram distribuidos aleatoriamente e de modo encoberto em tres grupos: Placebo: (n=10) . infusao de solucao salina; Dex 1 (n=10) . infusao de Dex (1 Êg.kg-1), em 10 minutos, seguida por infusao continua de Dex (1 Êg.kg-1.h-1); e Dex 2 (n=10) - infusao de Dex (2 Êg.kg-1), em 10 minutos, seguida por infusao continua de Dex (2 Êg.kg-1.h-1). Os atributos hemodinamicos e de oxigenacao sistemica foram estudados nos momentos controle, apos a infusao das solucoes, apos 20 e 40 minutos do Aox e apos 20 e 40 minutos do DAox. A Dex diminuiu a frequencia cardiaca (FC) e o indice cardiaco. Na vigencia do Aox, o IC e a FC, nos grupos da Dex, foram menores do que no grupo Placebo (p < 0,05). Em Dex 1 e Dex 2, a pressao arterial media (PAM) apresentou valores mais elevados do que os do Placebo, enquanto a pressao de oclusao da arteria pulmonar (POAP) e o indice de resistencia vascular sistemica (IRVS) aumentaram de maneira INTRODUCAO E LITERATURA 9 dosedependente (p < 0,05). Nos grupos da Dex, o indice de transporte de oxigenio (ITO2) foi menor do que no grupo Placebo, enquanto a saturacao de oxigenio do sangue venoso misto foi menor em Dex 2 em relacao aos demais grupos (p < 0,05).Dexmedetomidine (Dex) causes a centrally mediated sympatholysis and an inhibition of neurotransmission in sympathetic nerves. Thus, Dex could suppress the circulatory hyperdynamic state which accompanies aortic surgery. We studied the effects of Dex on hemodynamics and systemic oxygenation before, during and after infra-renal aortic cross-clamping (Aox). Thirty dogs were randomly assigned to three different general anesthetic regimens prior to Aox and unclamping (UAox). Group 1 (n=10), control, received 0.75 MAC sevoflurane plus saline infusion. Group 2 (n=10), Dex 1, received 0.75 MAC sevoflurane plus Dex (1 g.kg-1 load) followed by 1 g.kg-1.h-1 infusion. Group 3, Dex 2, received 0.75 MAC sevoflurane plus Dex (2 g.kg-1 load) followed by 2 g.kg-1.h-1 infusion. Hemodynamic and oxygenation variables were measured at baseline, after saline or Dex loading dose, and 20 and 40 min after Aox, and 20 and 40 min after UAox. Cardiac index and heart rate significantly decreased in Dex groups before Aox. Mean arterial pressure after Aox was higher in Dex groups than in Control (P<0.05) while pulmonary artery occlusion pressure and systemic vascular resistance were dose-dependently increased (P<0.05). Systemic oxygen delivery and mixed venous oxygen saturation was lower in Dex 2 compared to control (P<0.05). UAox had little effect on hemodynamics or oxygenation for control and Dex 1, however, Dex 2 was associated with a higher oxygen extraction ratio (P<0.05). In conclusion, Dex deleteriously altered hemodynamic and oxygenation effects of sevoflurane during Aox. INTRODUÇÃO E LITERATURA 11 These effects might limit the use of Dex in association with sevoflurane during aortic surgery.Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES