Table 1. A Comparison of Types of Anesthetics Used between Kornfield and European Theater of Operations Data

* Kornfield data reported as percent of number of cases (European Theater of Operations data in percent). The European Theater of Operations data present the range of percentages from three time periods encompassing June 1, 1944 to May 1945. European Theater of Operations data are available for field, evacuation, and general hospitals.

† For Kornfield data, the inhalation category includes all inhalational anesthetics administered except those given in combination with regional anesthesia. This category includes anesthesia induced with ether, ethyl chloride, open-drop ether, and cyclopropane (in England) alone and in combination with pentothal–oxygen–nitrous oxide or oxygen–nitrous oxide and with or without tracheal intubation. More than 99% of the combat inhalational anesthetics consisted of ether. The types of inhalational agents used in the European Theater of Operations are not available.

‡ For Kornfield data, the all pentothal category includes all cases with pentothal except those in combination with an inhaled agent or regional block. This category includes anesthesia induced with pentothal, pentothal–oxygen–nitrous oxide and pentothal–oxygen (pentothal–oxygen was used in approximately 1% of the cases). The pentothal category includes only those episodes of anesthesia in which only pentothal was given.

§ For Kornfield data, the regional category includes any case that lists regional as a component and includes rare cases of combined regional and general anesthesia. Primary local anesthetics were procaine and pantocaine. Adjunct general anesthesia was induced with combinations of pentothal, oxygen, nitrous oxide, and ether.

∥ For Kornfield data, sympathetic blockades include cervical sympathetic and lumbar sympathetic blocks by themselves and in combination with general anesthetic techniques.

# Because of rounding, percentages may not all total 100.

** Includes orotracheal and nasotracheal intubation.

††Perioperative mortality  is defined as death within 48 hours of anesthetic, as noted by Kornfield.