Cause-specific mortality risks of anesthesiologists.

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Medical Professional Mortality
• Anesthesiology

Background:

• The operating room environment's health impacts on physicians remain largely unknown.
• This study investigates the comparative mortality risks between anesthesiologists and internal medicine physicians.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the mortality risks associated with anesthesiology practice versus internal medicine.
• To identify specific causes of death that may be elevated in anesthesiologists.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Physician Master File database to identify cohorts of anesthesiologists (n=40,242) and internists (n=40,211).
• Frequency-matched cohorts by gender, birth decade, and US citizenship; confirmed mortality via the National Death Index.
• Employed Cox proportional hazards regression to compare adjusted mortality risks.

Main Results:

• Anesthesiologists showed significantly increased risks of death from suicide, drug-related causes, external causes, and cerebrovascular disease.
• Elevated risks for male anesthesiologists included death from HIV and viral hepatitis.
• The risk of drug-related death was highest early in careers but persisted throughout.

Conclusions:

• Substance abuse and suicide are identified as substantial occupational hazards for anesthesiologists.
• The study underscores the need for developing novel strategies to address substance abuse within this medical specialty.