Publication: Anaesthetic depth and postoperative mortality

Observational studies conducted by Prof Paul Myles, Head of the Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine have demonstrated an association between relatively deep anesthesia and increased postoperative mortality. The primary hypothesis of the study is that "light" anesthesia, defined as a BIS target of 50, will reduce all-cause mortality within 1 year of surgery in comparison with "deep" anesthesia, defined as a BIS target of 35, in patients aged ≥60 years presenting for major surgery under general anesthesia. This randomized controlled trial should answer the question of whether titrating anesthetic depth makes a difference to patient outcome in a vulnerable patient group.

 Reference: Short TG, Leslie K, Chan MT, Campbell D, Frampton C, Myles P. Rationale and design of the balanced anesthesia study: A prospective randomized clinical trial of two levels of anesthetic depth on patient outcome after major surgery. Anesth Analg. 2015 Aug;121(2):357-65. doi: 10.1213 Link