Anesthetic Procedures Performed Outside The Operating Rooms are Common Among Americans

Around one-third of Americans undergo surgery procedures involving anesthesia outside the operating room (O.R).The analysis presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2016 annual meeting stated that there was an increase of 27% in five years. Patients with poor health are adviced by physicians to have minimally invasive procedures which are less-risky therefore they don’t need operations to be performed in the operating room.

Richard Dutton, M.D., senior author of the study and chief quality officer for U.S. Anesthesia Partners, Dallas, said "The growth reflects a shift toward safer, less-invasive procedures and tests that still require anesthesia"

"Whether inside or outside an O.R., it's important that anesthesia for patients with severe health conditions is provided by physician anesthesiologists who have the extensive training and skill to deliver safe care."

A research study was done based on the analysis of the Anesthesia Quality Institute’s National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry (NACOR) of anesthesia cases from clinics and hospitals.

More than 5.9 million non operating room anesthesia cases and 12.4 million operating room cases were identified between 2010-2014. The percentage of cases which were done outside the operating room increased from 28 % to 36%. The non operating room patients were found to be at an average of 3.5 years older than operating room patients. Colonoscopy which involves a screening test for colon cancer is the most common non-operating room procedure involving anesthesia.

Large incision operations usually take place in an operating room were a sterile environment with specialized equipments are used, while non-operating procedures are performed by inserting a cathether into the artery using a scope through rectum or mouth. This may be less risky than a surgery for patients who suffer from stroke, heart disease or life-threatening conditions.

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Intravenous sedations are commonly used anesthesias for non-operating procedures that are performed in radiological suites or other rooms which do not have extensive equipments as in the operating rooms.

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Source-Medindia