Health Risks After Surgery May Last for Years

These studies are providing mounting evidence that there are short-term and long-term increased risks, particularly for surgery patients with serious underlying disease, said Dr. Steffen E. Meiler, an anesthesiologist and vice chair for research in the department of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine at the Medical College of Georgia (MCG, Augusta, USA). The remarks were made during a lecture given by Dr. Meiler at the 53rd annual meeting of the Japanese Society of Anesthesiologists, held in Kobe (Japan) in June 2006.

Inflammation is a player in most major diseases, as is body temperature. If the core temperature of patients during surgery drops below 36?C, the complication rate from postoperative infections for certain surgical procedures may be as high as threefold. Infections and even cancer are also concerns post-surgically, as are blood transfusions and apparently volatile anesthetics that actually suppress the immune response. However, studies have shown that taking drugs such as statins and beta blockers can protect against some of this risk.

"The first insight we take away from this is that when bad things happen down the road, months, maybe even years later, that we cannot, as we have in the past, just attribute it to the natural course of illness,” said Dr. Meiler. "Giving beta blockers, statins, making sure your blood sugar doesn't rise during surgery, minimizing blood transfusions, these are all things that we have not paid enough attention to.”



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