Key result
Previous anesthesia was reported by 6,672 of 10,000 patients (66.7%) presenting for anesthesia, with 37% of the total population having received two or more prior anesthetics.
A large proportion of patients presenting for anaesthesia have a history of previous anaesthesia, highlighting the importance of preoperative assessment of anaesthetic history.
Supports incorporating prior anesthesia history into preoperative assessment; leaves open its prognostic impact for prospective outcome studies.
Ten thousand patients presenting for anaesthesia were questioned about their anaesthetic history; 6672 had received an anaesthetic previously, 19.2% in the preceding 4 weeks. Of 2780 in whom the agents were known, 80.4% had received thiopentone, 18.1% Althesin and 57.4% halothane. Thirty-seven per cent of the total survey population had received two or more anaesthetics.
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Fee et al. (1978) studied this question. Previous anesthesia was reported by 6,672 of 10,000 patients (66.7%) presenting for anesthesia, with 37% of the total population having received two or more prior anesthetics.
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