ANESTHESIOLOGY FAST REVIEW

ANESTHESIOLOGY_FAST_REVIEWKAPAK1-0-25

COMPLICATIVE PROBLEMS DURING ANESTHESIA PRACTICE

Güldeniz Argun

Dr. Abdurrahman Yurtaslan Ankara Oncology Training and Research Hospital, Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Ankara, Türkiye

Argun G. Complicative Problems During Anesthesia Practice. In: Kazancı D, editor. Anesthesiology Fast Review. 1st ed. Ankara: Türkiye Klinikleri; 2025. p.495-505.

ABSTRACT

  • The safety of anesthesia has improved significantly because of better anesthetic and monitoring techniques and updated guidelines based on increased knowledge.
  • However, anesthesia complications and related deaths will never be completely eliminated.
  • Complications of anesthesia are divided into avoidable and unavoidable complications. Preventable complications are usually caused by human error.
  • It is not always easy to determine whether mortality and morbidity are caused by the patient’s comorbidities or by the administration of the anesthetic. Good preoperative assessment and optimization of the patient’s condition is important in preventing complications.
  • Failure to maintain airway patency and continuity during anesthesia is one of the most feared complications. Respiratory complications are most common in difficult intubation situations.
  • Mortality due to medication errors is an important contributor to anesthesia-related mortality.
  • Although most anesthetic drug errors are harmless, a group of drug errors lead to fatal complications. For example, respiratory depression due to prolonged effects of opioids can be fatal.
  • Pressure ulcers due to patient positioning, nerve and muscle injury, eye injury and loss of vision are complications that can lead to morbidity during anesthesia.
  • Nerve injury and drug toxicity can also occur as complications of regional anesthesia.
  • Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) occur in 15% of perioperative cases. Of these, 64% are reported to be due to mortality and 21% to brain damage.
  • Cauterization and alcohol-based antiseptics used in surgery and high concentrations of oxygen can cause unexpected burns.

Keywords: Anesthesia; Complications; Morbidity; Mortality

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