British journal of anaesthesia
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The mortality from perioperative anaphylaxis has recently been quoted in a range between 3 and 9%. However, it was our impression in Western Australia that we had had no deaths from perioperative anaphylaxis for over a decade. As we have comprehensive processes in place to investigate both perioperative anaphylaxis and anaesthesia-related deaths, we undertook this study to determine our actual perioperative anaphylaxis mortality rate. ⋯ Our incidence of perioperative anaphylaxis was within expectations, but our mortality rate was lower than recently quoted figures. It is likely that the current true perioperative anaphylaxis mortality rate is within the range 0-1.4%.
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Editorial Comment
III. Intraoperative awareness: a pound of prevention, an ounce of cure?