Category: Anaesthesia

Anaesthesia is one of the largest and most wide-ranging medical specialties, and it is used in some form in around two-thirds of all hospital patients. It is generally a very safe procedure, and the risk of adverse events is low. Furthermore, many of the complications that do occur are minor and temporary in nature. However, a small proportion result in permanent harm or […]

A hospital-acquired infection (HAI) is any infection that is not clinically manifest or incubating at the time of admission. Conventionally, infections that become evident within 48 hours of admission are deemed to be community-acquired, while those that appear later, unless there is clear evidence of their existence at admission, are classified as hospital-acquired. HAIs are common, affecting around 6.5% of patients, with a higher prevalence in […]

Every year in the UK, over 270,000 adults are admitted to an intensive care unit. For the majority of patients, treatment is successful but the Department of Health estimates that around 10% of hospital inpatient admissions gives rise to an adverse event. Depending on the seriousness of the incident and the outcome for the patient, […]