Living longer as an anaesthetist: The ‘magic’ lifestyle or the ‘lifestyle polypill’

ABSTRACT

The central premise of this paper is that interventions that result in prolongation of human life are good for the individual. We examine three broad lifestyle activities (anaesthetic health and health risks, common health misconceptions, accepted lifestyle modifications to improve longevity) identifying interventions that have been reported to result in reductions in all-cause mortality. With regard to anaesthetic health and health risks, issues around life expectancy, anaesthetic mortality risks and suicide risks are examined. The negative effects of both acute and chronic sleep deprivation, as well as work and call stress on the health of the anaesthetist are identified and possible interventions to mitigate them are proposed. Common health misconceptions are addressed, with specific attention being given to the under-reported beneficial effects of coffee, alcohol and chocolate on longevity and health. Finally, accepted lifestyle modifications, including exercise, diet, aspirin and statins are discussed, and the possible utility and feasibility of the ‘polypill’ is considered. In conclusion, we propose a ‘lifestyle calculator’ to assess the success of lifestyle interventions on all-cause mortality.