Unexpected perioperative cardiac arrest

Patient safety is the first priority of any medical activity. Anesthesiology is a medical discipline with imprinted critical events including perioperative cardiac arrest (POCA). Nevertheless, despite advances in modern perioperative medicine, there are still factors that may either provoke adverse reactions or negatively influence the treatment process. Negative sequelae may result if the problem is not avoided or managed sufficiently. Anesthesiology focuses on strategies aimed at prevention, the early recognition of problems, and actions to avoid or solve critical events. This review considers recently published evidence on the occurrence, recognition, and management of POCA and future research in this field of anesthetic practice.