Evolution of the anaesthetic workload--the French experience

The use of anaesthesia has shown major growth during the period 1975-1985. Increases safety in anaesthesia safety have permitted its use in surgery and in other exploratory procedures involving older patients and those with more severe clinical conditions. A survey, designed by the French Society of Anaesthesiologists, collected and analysed data relating to anaesthesia performed in France in 1996 from a representative sample collected in all French hospitals and clinics; the results of this survey were compared with an earlier survey performed in 1980. The participation rate of hospitals was 98%. The results of this survey showed that, between 1980 and 1996, the number of anaesthetic procedures had increased by 120% and the annual rate had increased from 6.6 to 13.5 anaesthetic procedures per 100 population. The annual rate varied between 5.4 per 100 in girls 5-14 years of age and 30.2 per 100 in men 75-84 years of age. The second important phenomenon which occurred between 1980 and 1996 was a marked increase in regional anaesthesia--from 4 to 23% of all cases. This represents a 14-fold increase in the number of cases involving regional anaesthesia. Anaesthesia for obstetric procedures represented 9% of all cases. Seventy-six per cent of all anaesthetics which were started between midnight and 7.00 a.m. were related to obstetric activities. Changes that occurred in the practice of anaesthesia could be explained by changes in the types of procedure requiring anaesthesia: in 1980, 88% of anaesthetics were required for surgical procedures, while in 1996 surgery accounted for 71% of all cases, obstetrics for 9%, and other procedures for the remaining 20%. The practice of epidural anaesthesia for deliveries has developed markedly in France during recent years, increasing from 1.5 to 51% of all deliveries between 1980 and 1996. This survey has offered an interesting overview of recent developments in anaesthesia--which are probably representative of the evolutionary trends in most industrialized countries. These changes can be summarized in three major points: (i) a global increase in the use of anaesthesia related to improvements in its safety; (ii) a significantly increased use of anaesthesia in elderly patients; and (iii) a marked increase in regional anaesthesia.