Resource use in general anaesthesia: a comparison of practice in Germany,France and the UK

Summary

This study reports the results of a study of anaesthetic resources used before, during and after various surgical procedures performed in the United Kingdom, Germany and France. A total of 1787 patients undergoing general anaesthesia for daycase knee arthroscopy, daycase laparoscopic gynaecological procedures, inpatient major non-gynaecological abdominal surgery or inpatient knee arthroscopy in a range of hospital settings were included in the study. The objective was to compare the use of anaesthetic agents, adjunct drugs and times spent in the various stages of surgery and recovery. An audit of the incidence of emesis in the postoperative recovery room and on the hospital ward was also undertaken. Results showed that the UK had the shortest median procedure times for induction, surgery and recovery. The pattern of drug use was generally similar for the main classes of anaesthetic agents and adjunct drugs, although the use of specific drugs in each class differed from country to country. Between 7% and 10% of patients suffered from one or more episodes of emesis. Practice differences between countries were apparent and differences in resource use indicate considerable scope for institutional cost savings on anaesthesia-related activities, beyond drug acquisition costs, in both France and Germany compared with the UK.