Characteristics and outcomes for general anesthesia in Denmark

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• General anesthesia is widely used, but concerns about post-operative complications and mortality persist.
• No previous study has characterized the Danish patient population undergoing general anesthesia nationally.
• Understanding patient demographics and outcomes is crucial for improving anesthetic care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the characteristics of adult patients undergoing general anesthesia in Denmark.
• To analyze the outcomes of general anesthesia on a national level.
• To identify factors influencing post-anesthesia complications and mortality.

Main Methods:

• Registry-based observational cohort study.
• Inclusion of adult patients (≥18 years) undergoing general anesthesia in Denmark during 2020-2021.
• Combination of nationwide registry data for comprehensive patient and outcome analysis.
• Descriptive statistics used for overall and subgroup analyses based on American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification.

Main Results:

• 453,133 cases of general anesthesia in 328,951 unique patients were analyzed.
• The median patient age was 57 years, with 54% females. ASA II was the most common classification (49%).
• 30-day outcomes included 0.1% stroke, 0.2% in-hospital cardiac arrest, and 3.9% ICU stay. 30-day and 1-year mortality rates were 1.8% and 6.3%, respectively, increasing with higher ASA scores.

Conclusions:

• This study presents the first comprehensive national overview of adult patients receiving general anesthesia in Denmark.
• Post-anesthesia complications were generally infrequent.
• Complication rates and mortality risk were demonstrably higher in patients with more severe American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classifications.