Anesthesia Emergencies in the Ambulatory Setting

Ambulatory surgery centers are facilities designed for day surgery, which frequently lack the equipment required to treat complex medical conditions, perform invasive monitoring, and provide prolonged observation. When emergencies occur in the ambulatory setting, they must be recognized promptly and managed with emphasis on stabilization and transfer to a hospital, if necessary. Many emergencies can be avoided with careful patient selection. Airway, cardiac, and neurologic emergencies, as well as local anesthetic toxicity and anaphylaxis, may occur despite good screening efforts. This article discusses the diagnosis and management of perioperative complications in an ambulatory setting. © 2016, Springer Science + Business Media New York.