A 50-year-old woman died during a kidney operation at a private hospital in Patiala here on Sunday morning. Members of the deceased’s family have alleged negligence. However, doctors said the patient had died due to the cardiac arrest. The deceased, Shanti Devi, was admitted to Janak Surgicare and Ankur Advanced Urology Centre for bilateral kidney ailment on July 12. Shanti Devi, a resident of Ulaana village near Ghanaur in Patiala, was earlier operated for kidney stone on July 13 and July 14. However, she died during another operation on Sunday morning, said the police. Doctor Ankur Bansal from the hospital said: “The patient was suffering from bilateral kidney ailment. She was operated on July 13 and July 14. However, when we were operating for the third time on Sunday morning, the patient died during operation due to a cardiac arrest after anaesthesia. (TOI, Tribune)

Overall anesthesia-related mortality rates vary from two deaths per 10,000 anesthetics administered to one death per 200,000 anesthetics. Standard American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) monitors include pulse oximetry, electrocardiography (ECG), a noninvasive blood pressure device, and temperature, as well as integrated monitors on all anesthesia machines that generate alarms for common and/or serious potential problems

Patients whose estimated risk of death is less than 1% are labeled as being low risk and require no additional cardiovascular testing. Higher-risk patients are those whose risk of death is 1% or higher and these are the patients who may require additional cardiovascular evaluation. 

No surgery is risk free.

While anesthesia has certainly become safer now, other factors such as the surgery itself, age of the patient, general condition of the patient, preexisting medical conditions, experience of the surgeon increase the risk associated with a surgical procedure.

The risks of anesthesia increase with high-risk patients.

Dr KK Aggarwal

Padma Shri Awardee

Vice President CMAAO

Group Editor-in-Chief IJCP Publications

President Heart Care Foundation of India

Immediate Past National President IMA