Mortality and morbidity associated with ophthalmic surgery

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To study the mortality and morbidity among the patients undergoing ophthalmic surgery under local or general anesthesia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of all patients who underwent ophthalmic surgery at Sankara Nethralaya, Madras, India, between 1979 and 1988, was performed. Relevant details included the preoperative medical status of the patients (ASA status), type of surgical procedure, type of anesthesia, and intraoperative and postoperative complications. RESULTS: The overall mortality rate was 1.15 per 1000. There was a decrease in the mortality rate from 2.03 per 1000 in the first 5-year period to 0.37 per 1000 in the second 5-year period. The factors significantly associated with mortality were hypertension, presence of cardiac pacemaker, renal disease, duration of surgery, type of surgery, and physical status (American Society of Anaesthesiologisa classification). CONCLUSION: Identifying the risk factors can help reduce the mortality in ophthalmic surgery.