Safety of Anaesthesia in Australia - Australian and New Zealand ...

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Findings for Nsw, Vic and Wa continued Gender In contrast to previous reports, there were more females than males. The significance of this observation is not known. Figure 1: Gender distribution in anaesthesia-related deaths 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Male Female 63 50 45 49 40 35 30 29 25 24 24 20 16 15 9 10 10 5 NSW VIC WA Total 0 Age Table 7: Age distribution in anaesthesia-related deaths Age (Years) NSW VIC WA Total 90 8 0 3 11 No anaesthesia-related deaths were recorded in children under one year of age. The majority of the deaths occurred in patients over the age of 60 years (75%). Over two-thirds occurred in patients over 70 years of age. Level of risk The level of risk was stratified using the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Physical Status Classification (see Appendix 2). Figure 2: Level of risk of patients by ASA Physical Status About 45% of anaesthesia-related deaths occurred in patients with the highest levels of risk (ASA P 4-5). However, there were 18 low risk patients (ASA P 1-2). This was a further reduction compared to the previous triennium (16% vs 19%). Nevertheless, the number of anaesthesia-related deaths in low risk patients remains of concern. Degree of urgency Figure 3: Degree of urgency of the procedure (with anaesthesia-related deaths) 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 ASA P 1 & 2 ASA P 3 ASA P 4 & 5 Not stated 2 17 29 5 13 16 11 3 6 0 0 NSW VIC WA Total Urgent or Emergency 28 25 Elective 16 24 12 10 NSW VIC WA Total 7 56 56 18 39 50 5 While the total number of scheduled procedures far outnumbers urgent or emergency procedures, 50% of the anaesthesia-related deaths occurred in patients undergoing urgent or emergency procedures. The increased risk associated with urgent or emergency procedures may relate to the unstable condition of these patients, the inadequate opportunity for complete pre-operative assessment, or a requirement for continued resuscitation at the same time of the administration of anaesthesia. 8 A review of anaesthesia-related mortality reporting in Australia and New Zealand 2003-2005
Findings for Nsw, Vic and Wa continued Type of Hospital Table 8: Type of Hospital Metropolitan Public Metropolitan Rural Base Rural Public Private Day Care Teaching Non-Teaching Other (free standing) NSW 29 5 10 3 6 0 VIC 22 6 1 3 8 0 WA 14 0 2 0 3 0 Total 65 11 13 6 17 0 As in previous reports, the majority of anaesthesia-related deaths occurred in metropolitan teaching hospitals. This was not unexpected because these hospitals treat the majority of urgent and emergency patients. They also undertake the bulk of the more complex procedures, which are usually performed on older, sicker patients, often with a higher risk. Location of death Table 9: Location of death Operating Induction PACU Procedural ICU/HDU General Ward Theatre Room Room NSW 22 0 4 2 18 7 VIC 12 0 1 0 18 9 WA 6 0 4 0 5 4 Total 40 0 9 2 41 20 The majority of the deaths occurred in an intensive care or high dependency unit (37%). A large proportion also occurred in an operating theatre (36%). The remainder occurred in a ward area (18%), in a theatre recovery room (8%), or in a procedural room (2%) – all figures rounded. Note: that ‘location of death’ does not necessarily indicate the location of the anaesthesia-related event. Grade of anaesthetist Table 10 shows the grade of the anaesthetist. In cases during which two or more anaesthetists were involved, the grade of anaesthetist was taken as the principal anaesthetist involved, as indicated in individual anaesthetists’ reports. Table 10: Grade of anaesthetist Specialist GP Non- Trainee/ Other Operator Specialist Registrar NSW 48 1 2 1 1 VIC 30 0 8 2 0 WA 16 1 2 0 0 Total 94 2 12 3 1 There was only one death involving a non-specialist in New South Wales, one in Western Australia, and none in Victoria. Note that the relative number of cases undertaken by specialists and non-specialists is not known. Approximately 11% of cases involved unsupervised trainees. While it cannot be determined whether specialist supervision would have altered outcomes in these cases, it would seem advisable to ensure that supervision is available for all higher risk cases. The two cases in Victoria classified as ‘Other’, involved non-supervised junior medical staff in an Intensive Care Unit. There was also one case in which the anaesthesia was provided by the operator. It has been previously stated, that it is almost never an acceptable practice to provide anaesthesia and perform a procedure concurrently. A review of anaesthesia-related mortality reporting in Australia and New Zealand 2003-2005 9
Page 1 and 2: Safety of Anaesthesia A review of a
Page 3 and 4: Foreword Leona Wilson The long esta
Page 5 and 6: Executive Summary Neville Gibbs 1.
Page 7 and 8: Methods Data collection Confidentia
Page 9: Findings for Nsw, Vic and Wa contin
Page 13 and 14: Findings for Nsw, Vic and Wa contin
Page 15 and 16: State, Territory and National Infor
Page 17 and 18: State, Territory And National Infor
Page 23 and 24: Appendices Appendix 1: Glossary Of
Page 25 and 26: Appendices continued Appendix 2: Am

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