The Postoperative Outcomes of General Anesthesia in Patients after Major Surgery

Abstract

Introduction: General anesthesia is a drug-induced reversible state comprising unconsciousness, amnesia, antinociception, and immobility, with maintenance of physiological stability. General anesthesia requires managing a complex array of anesthetic agents that act on an intricate web of neural connections or a neural nexus. Aim of the study: This study aimed to analyze the postoperative outcomes of general anesthesia in patients after major surgery. Methods and materials: This prospective observational study was conducted at the Department of Anaesthesiology Dhaka National Medical Institute Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh from December 2022 to September 2023. A total of 100 surgery patients managed by general anesthesia were selected as study subjects purposively. After data collection, all data were processed and analyzed by MS Office tools. Result: In this study, the most common surgical procedure was joint replacement, with 25% of the participants, followed by hysterectomy, also at 25%. In most of our patients (59%) with general anesthesia, opioids were administered for pain relief. Most commonly, patients experienced headache (18%) followed by nausea, vomiting, and pulmonary complications (15%). Significantly, 42% of patients experienced delayed reversal from general anesthesia effects, and 41% required a hospital stay until days 4-5. We found deep vein thrombosis in 13% of cases. Conclusion: General anesthesia, while essential for major surgeries, presents certain postoperative challenges that need attention. Patients often encounter extended recovery times and may require prolonged opioid use, leading to longer hospital stays.