Anaesthesia associated mortality in a district hospital in Zimbabwe: 1994 to 2001.

Most of the anaesthetic factors are preventable. These results, although very poor, are consistent with reports from hospitals in the region. By comparison, developed countries are at least 10 times better. Improving the provision, skills, support and profile of anaesthesia providers in the care of peri operative patients, would reduce anaesthesia-associated factors in peri operative mortality. A system of national audit data collection comparable to the CEPOD or Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths is overdue in Zimbabwe.