Adverse Events in Anesthesia: An Integrative Review

This study conducted an integrative review of the literature in a search for scientific evidence related to the occurrence of perioperative adverse events resulting from anesthesia.

Integrative review.

The search was performed in the PubMed/MEDLINE, Virtual Health Library, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health, and Web of Science databases and portals, including studies published in Portuguese, English, or Spanish, from 1997 to 2017. The studies were supposed to assess adverse events associated exclusively with anesthesia care.

We selected 21 studies. The main adverse events in anesthesia were respiratory, drug error, cardiology, and neurology. Most of the events were related to human errors, slips, and lapses that resulted in damage to the patient, such as permanent injuries or death.

Care planning, efficient communication, and teamwork are critical to prevent adverse events in anesthesia.