As reported in our article on death during anesthesia, no good reporting methods are used or available. Any death during or subsequent to an anesthetic is reported as related to anesthesia only if a specific anesthetic error is identified. Males are more likely victims by a 1.5 to 1 ratio. Having more than one operation during the same hospitalization or in a short time span is more lethal. The very young and very old are at the highest risk.
Risk rises with concurrent disease especially heart or lung problems.
Recent myocardial infarction carries a risk of fatal infarction following anesthesia. Risk of reinfarction declines to near normal when six months or more have elapsed between original infarct and anesthesia. Emergency procedures carry a much higher mortality rate during the recovery period. Mortality rates probably rise during the evening and night when fewer nurses are present, and during shift changes. Persistent myoneural blockage and relative anesthetic overdose are commonly associated with post-anesthesia mortality 8.