[Anesthesiology and Outcome - Impact of the Perioperative Process]

In recent years, the role of the anesthesiologist has turned tremendously from the "anaesthesia doctor" into a perioperative physician and risk specialist. Patients are older, multimorbid, and are called up for more and more extensive surgery and interventions. Socioeconomic aspects have grown in importance. The anesthesiologist, paving the way for a good outcome, is involved in nearly all perioperative processes: preoperative evaluation, definition and optimization of preoperative and intraoperative conditions, management of modern intraoperative anesthesia as well as postoperative medically indicated, effective and efficient treatment of partially highly complex patients. The individual perioperative process steps in this way are examined in accordance with established guidelines and the increase in current requirements. Finally, a special emphasis is placed on the perception that the perioperative process has not been completed with the end of surgery - postoperative outcome is not least adversely affected by postoperative complications on the normal ward. The risk of death after complications, "failure to rescue", should be identified early and treated promptly.