OUTCOME OF OUTPATIENT ANESTHESIA

This chapter addresses major morbidity and mortality in ambulatory surgery. Overall anaesthesia mortality, which had been constant (one to two per 10 000) for many years, is now decreasing. Very few studies have been done in ambulatory surgery, and those which have were undertaken when ambulatory surgery was minor surgery in young, healthy patients. It has now very often become complex surgery in young, healthy patients.or minor surgery in complex patients. Major mortality and morbidity have been reported. Causative factors are analysed, non-anaesthetic as well as anaesthetic. Through a review of critical events, adverse patient occurrences and unplanned admissions, a quality assurance system can assess outcome in a particular setting. Problems discovered have to be translated into meaningful corrective actions. The focus becomes the evaluation of risk and risk management. © 1992 Baillière Tindall.