Death associated with anaesthesia and surgery in Finland in 1986 compared to 1975

Abstract

Mortality associated with anaesthesia and surgery in Finland in 1986 was studied using a retrospective method and was compared with the results of a similar study performed in 1975. The total number of procedures was 325,585. 570 patients fulfilled one of the three criteria: 1. The patient died within three days of a procedure needing anaesthesia. 2. The patient died more than three days after a procedure needing anesthesia, but had suffered a cardiac arrest or been resuscitated, or there was a surgical or an anaesthesiological complication contributing to the death. 3. The patient suffered a major handicapping neurological (or other) deficit, which was associated with anaesthesia, or there was a surgical or an anaesthesiological complication possibly contributing to the death or handicap (no patients). The number of consultant anaesthesiologists had more than doubled since 1975. At the same time there was also a significant increase in recovery room and intensive care facilities. Surgery was the main contributing factor in the death of 22 (frequency 0.68/10,000 procedures), and anaesthesia in the death of five (frequency 0.15/10,000 procedures) patients. The role of surgery had decreased to about one third and the role of anaesthesia to less than one tenth as the main cause of death associated with anaesthesia and surgery compared to the year 1975. 95.3% of all the patients died mainly because of co-existing medical or surgical disease.