[Very long duration anaesthesia (V. L. D. A.) considered by the surgeon (author's transl)]

In the experience of the Universitary Surgical Clinic of Amiens, anaesthesia of more than 8 hours duration appears for 3 p. thousand of the total amount (9/3 000 on 1978). The authors distinguish between them "provided" very long duration operations and the "involuntary" ones (complex multitrauma, unexpected difficulties, etc.); that distinction is justified by many reasons among which one must consider mostly the team work setting up. The authors briefly report V. L. D. A. events in their own experience as in that reported in the medical literature. Also the practical difficulties resulting of V. L. D. A. in the intra-operative or post-operative periods are appraised. Then the authors propose some means able to reduce the number of V. L. D. A. and to assure a better proceeding of very long duration operations.