Anesthesia in France
Laxenaire, M.C.; Auroy, Y.
La Revue du Praticien 51(8): 831-835
2001
ISSN/ISBN: 0035-2640 PMID: 11387683 Document Number: 532200
Anaesthesiology is a recent medical speciality, established in 1965, that is formally termed in French Anesthésie-réanimation (Anaesthesiology-intensive care). Since its creation, the discipline has had a range of activity including anaesthesia, intensive care, prehospitalisation emergencies, acute and chronic pain and diverse follow-up. In France 8 million anaesthesias are performed per year, by 8,500 physicians specialised in anaesthesiology, assisted by 7,500 anaesthesiology nurses. It is estimated that each year 13.5% of the French population undergoes anaesthesia, with variations related to sex and age. Over 15 years, the number of anaesthesias performed increased 2.2 fold, due to the increase in certain types of surgery (especially orthopaedics) but also obstetrics (35 times more peridural anaesthesias) and the explosion of GI endoscopy (50 times increase). This increased activity involves patients at the extreme ranges of life, young women and fragile persons. Local and regional anaesthesias represent 21% of those performed, and outpatient anaesthesia is 12 times that of 15 years ago.