On March 30, 1842 a Georgia anesthesiologist named Crawford W. Long M.D., changed the scope of modern medicine forever when he successfully administered ether anesthesia to a patient who was having a tumor removed from his neck. Surprisingly, the patient did not scream out in indescribable agony.
That morning marked the end of thousands of years in which surgery was associated with excruciating pain. Before the discovery of anesthesia, even a condition like appendicitis usually was fatal. Now a routine surgery is usually all it takes to remedy the ailment.
An estimated 40 million anesthetics are administered in the United States each year. The anesthesiologists in the country's operating rooms don't just administer anesthesia, however. These physicians provide continual medical assessments, monitor the patient's vital life functions - heart rate and rhythm, breathing, blood pressure, body temperature and body fluid balance - and control the patient's pain and level of consciousness.
As with all medical procedures, there are risks. Risk factors depend upon the type of surgery and the medical condition of the patient. Fortunately, adverse events from anesthesia are rare today.
In the late 1970s, the American Society of Anesthesiologists undertook a massive effort to improve the anesthetic mortality rate. The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation was created in 1985 to raise awareness of patient safety issues. And in 1986, the American Society of Anesthesiologists adopted standards of care for its members. In just the last generation, the number of deaths attributed to anesthesia has dropped from one in 10,000 to one in 250,000.
New standards continue to be developed to further ensure patient safety. These standards, along with today's sophisticated equipment and improved medications and techniques, have contributed enormously to making anesthesia safer than ever before.
The American Society of Anesthesiologists has been an instrumental force in patient health since 1905, and this year celebrates its centennial. The organization, which has 40,000 members, is continuing to make strides in patient safety.
For more information, visit the American Society of Anesthesiologists Web site at www.asahq.org. -NU |
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