Keywords
Gynaecology
Surgery
How to Cite
Abstract
Background. Anaesthesia-related postoperative complications vary widely in severity, ranging from mild issues to those causing permanent disability or death. Contributory factors include comorbidities, anaesthetic technique, and medications administered perioperatively.
Objectives. To determine the incidence and nature of anaesthesia-related complications in patients undergoing gynaecological surgery at a South African tertiary hospital.
Methods. This was a prospective, descriptive cross-sectional study. Patients undergoing gynaecological surgery who met the inclusion criteria were recruited for the study. The complications were sorted in descending order according to frequency of occurrence. Stata version 18 was used to analyse the data.
Results. A total of 149 patients were interviewed, but two were excluded because they had undergone non-gynaecological procedures. All eligible patients were recruited. Their mean (standard deviation) age was 43.7 (12.42) years. HIV infection and hypertension were the most common comorbidities. Of the 147 patients, 54.4% (n=80) had an abdominal hysterectomy under general anaesthesia. An endotracheal tube was used in 88.4% of the patients (n=130). The most common complication reported was a sore throat, followed by hoarseness of voice and nausea. None of the patients experienced intraoperative awareness.
Conclusion. Sore throat was the complication most often reported. This can be attributed to intubation, since almost all the patients had general anaesthesia with an endotracheal tube inserted. None of our patients reported accidental awareness. Future studies should document airway management variables such as tube size, cuff pressure and intubating stylet use to identify modifiable risk factors.
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