Perioperative medicine & outcomes
The incidence of potentially serious complications during non‐obstetric anaesthetic practice in the United Kingdom: an analysis from the 7th National Audit Project ( NAP7 ) activity survey
Authors' conclusion
These data represent the rates of potentially serious complications during routine anaesthesia care and may be valuable for risk assessment and patient consent.
Study context
- Population
- Unselected patients undergoing anaesthesia at UK hospital sites (Royal College of Anaesthetists 7th National Audit Project); obstetric cases excluded from further analysis20,996 non-obstetric cases analysed
- Participants
- 24,172 patients
- Outcome
- Potentially serious complications during anaesthesia
Methodological detailsactivity survey, unselected patients, 4-day snapshot, national audit (NAP7), 352 of 416 (85%) invited hospital sites completed the survey, Anaesthetists recorded anonymous details of all cases over 4 days via online survey
- Activity survey
- Unselected patients
- 4-day snapshot
- National audit (NAP7)
- 352 of 416 (85%) invited hospital sites completed the survey
- Anaesthetists recorded anonymous details of all cases over 4 days via online survey
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Potentially serious complications, non-obstetric cases
- Cases with ≥1 complication
- 1150 (5%)
- Complications reported
- 1705
- Circulatory events
- 616, 36%
- Airway events
- 418, 25%
- Metabolic events
- 264, 15%
- Breathing events
- 259, 15%
- Neurological events
- 41, 2%
- Single complication
- 851 (4%)
- Two complications
- 166 (1%)
- Three or more complications
- 133 (1%)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
All cases incl. obstetric
- Discrete potentially serious complications
- 1922
- Cases with complications
- 1337 (6%)
- Obstetric cases had a high reported major haemorrhage rate
Elective non-obstetric surgery
- All complications 'uncommon' (per 10,000 cases)
- 10-100
Emergency (urgent and immediate priority) surgery
- Share of non-obstetric cases
- 3454 (16%)
- Share of complications
- 714 (42%)
- Severe hypotension, major haemorrhage, severe arrhythmias, septic shock, significant acidosis and electrolyte disturbances 'common' (per 10,000 cases)
- 100-1000
Factors associated with complications (univariate analysis)
- Younger age; higher ASA physical status; male sex; increased frailty; urgency and extent of surgery; day of the week; time of day
- Univariate analysis
Original publication
The incidence of potentially serious complications during non‐obstetric anaesthetic practice in the United Kingdom: an analysis from the 7th National Audit Project ( NAP7 ) activity survey. Anaesthesia. Published 9 November 2023. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →