[Development of Anaesthesia-Related Mortality and Impact On Perioperative Outcome]

Achievements in anaesthesiology form the basis for the tremendous development of surgical therapy. Reliable monitoring technology, which is scrutinized on a regular basis using checklists, is allowing anaesthesia at the borders of physiology. During the last decades, anaesthesia-related mortality has been decreasing considerably. Well-trained anaesthesiology staff, who considers patient- and procedure-specific risks in anaesthetic management, is of major importance. Furthermore, postoperative care in specialised units and intensive care wards is a key factor of improved patient outcome after surgery. In the future, unravelling the interactions of anaesthesia, surgical trauma and postoperative complications will further contribute to improved patient safety.