Anaesthesia outside of the operating room: the paediatric cardiac catheterization laboratory

The focus of cardiac catheterization has changed from principally a diagnostic procedure to providing therapeutic options at various stages of childhood and adult congenital heart disease. The paediatric cardiac catheterization laboratory functions as a 'satellite' operating room. Combined ('hybrid') procedures with interventional cardiologists and cardiac surgeons present additional challenges for anaesthesia. The increased patient and procedure complexity represents higher risk for anaesthesia-related adverse events.

This review concentrates on the recent efforts to determine these patient and procedure-related risks. Multicentre registries have been developed, generating information regarding adverse events and patient outcomes. Standardized adverse events ratios allow comparisons between institutions and providers. Models to identify high-risk groups have been developed.

Advances in paediatric cardiac catheterization have created significant challenges for delivering anaesthesia in this environment. Anaesthetists need to have an integral role in the cardiac catheterization team, understanding and anticipating the risks for patients and leading the organization of workflow. Techniques used to improve systems in the operating room have been introduced to the cardiac catheterization laboratory to promote patient safety.