[Forward about long duration anesthesia (author's transl)].

The duration of anesthesia and surgical operation increased considerably during the last decennia. Such a long duration induces pathophysiological phenomenons unapparent for shorter operation and which are responsible of complications during or after the operation (cellular hypoxia, arrest of mitosis, deviation of any metabolisms). We speak then of anesthesia for very long duration operation and we fixe arbitrarily this duration to eight hours, the risks are considered as acceptable and without loud sequellas. It is necessary to precise the physiological abnormal causes which occurs for proposing means of prevention; there are both anesthetic and surgical. They show the necessity of pre-operatory concentration between medical, anesthesiological and surgical staffs for evaluating acceptable risks. We emphasize the necessity to forsee a change of the working staff after a reasonable time as in the high collective responsibility organisms.