(214) Patient Reported Adverse Events Following Anaesthesia: A Patient Centric Study

Publication Number: 1259

Background: Adverse outcomes associated with anaesthesia can adversely impact the patient’s health related quality of life and their finances.

Objectives: To determine the rate and nature of patient reported adverse events following anaesthesia.

Methods: A prospective observational study was carried over six months at pre and post operative bays in teaching hospital. Patients receiving any general anaesthesia were enrolled and followed till their discharge and were evaluated for any ADRs that arose after its administration. Data from the study was represented categorically and represented as n (%). Odds ratio and multiple logistic regression were used to analyse the predictors of ADRs at 95% confidence interval with a set of p-value of < 0.05.

Results: During the study period a total of 246 eligible patients [78 (31.70%) females] & [168 (68.30%) males] were enrolled into the study, of which 175 patients {[59 (33.71%) females] & [116 (66.29%) males]} experienced 306 [1.7 ADRs/ patient] ADRs with an incidence rate of 71.13%. The system organ class that was associated with the highest frequency of ADRs was body as a whole: general disorder [125 (40.84%)]. The causality of the reported ADRs assessed using both the WHO probability scale and the Naranjo’s algorithm was found to be ‘possible’ [306 (100%)]. The severity of the ADRs [306 (100%)] was found to be ‘mild – level 1’. All the reported ADRs [306 (100%)] were found to be ‘predictable’ and the preventability of the ADRs, as assessed using the Modified Shumock and Thornton scale showed that the ADRs [306 (100%)] were ‘not preventable’. ADRs such as pain at site of anaesthesia injection, nausea or vomiting, drowsiness, thirst, and sore throat were the most reported. The male gender [OR 2.68 (95% CI, 1.66–4.31)], the age group of 51-60 years [OR 1.89 (95% CI, 0.74–4.85)], patients with co-morbidities [OR 25.98 (95% CI, 7.57–33.73)] and patients those who received more than 5 drugs during their surgery [OR 28.15 (95% CI, 11.58 – 68.42)] were found to be predictors of reported ADRs.

Conclusions: ADRs associated with anaesthesia could be fatal. Active surveillance of anaesthesia related adverse events while its administration and during the surgery could yield more critical safety information. Clinical Pharmacists could assist the operation theatre staff in carrying active surveillance and support patient safety.