Operating Room Deaths

A ten-year retrospective survey of the rate and pattern of death of patients within the operating theatre suites was carried out at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria. Of the 12,743 patients who were admitted to the operating theatre suites in the period, excluding obstetric cases, 47 (i.e. 0.37%) deaths were recorded, consisting of 24 males and 23 females, aged between 5 months and 72 years. Thirty-two (68%) of the deaths were associated with emergency procedures, and fifteen (32%) were elective. Thirty-six of the patients (76.6%), had general anaesthesia. The patients\' medical condition contributed to 51% of the deaths, followed by anesthesia (38.3%) and surgery (8.5%). Twenty-four of the deceased (51.1%), were booked for abdominal surgery, while head/neck procedures accounted for 14 (29.8%). The death rate of 37 per 10,000 seems high, when compared to western values, but is akin to figures from similar institutions in developing countries like ours. Keywords : Perioperative mortality, intraoperative mortality, anasthetic death, complications Nigerian Journal of Surgical Sciences Vol. 17 (2) 2007: pp. 80-85