Standards of practice in anaesthesia--intra-operative monitoring

Intra-operative monitoring practice during anaesthesia was studied in a randomised selection of hospitals in different categories. Questionnaires from 45 anaesthetists in 20 hospitals provided information on 973 cases. The study showed that in 11% of cases the patient was left at some stage during anaesthesia without the attention of a medical practitioner and that in 7% of cases no record was made of the anaesthetic or of the parameters monitored. Types of monitoring varied considerably between hospitals and often fell short of acceptable minimal standards. Pulse oximetry, which is considered essential, was used in only 53% of cases. One in 18 cases was associated with a peri-operative critical incident and in 7 cases a critical incident occurred where the monitoring was deemed to be inadequate. Pulse oximetry would have assisted the anaesthetist in 6 of these 7 cases. In 3% of cases the anaesthetist admitted to fatigue during the procedure. This study highlights deficits in anaesthetic practice and in available equipment, both of which require urgent attention.