[French survey on anesthesia systems and peroperative respiratory monitoring equipment]

A national inquiry has been carried out in France. It concerned the anaesthetic systems and respiratory monitoring equipment in use at the moment, as well as that wished for. The equipment in use was very stereotyped: an open system with a respirator, for the most volumetric, and with a safety O2/N2O mixer. Monitoring is carried out with the pressure gauges and the measure of expiratory volume; only two thirds of the equipment had an alarm. The O2 and CO2 analysers were little used. Expired CO2 monitoring was only carried out in teaching hospitals and in big centres. Apart from this, the equipment was independent of the hospital and the type of surgery carried out. As for anaesthetic systems, 53% of centres would like obtain open systems, 15% closed systems; 32% did not answer. This increase in number of closed systems is not significant. However, a very strong wish for respirators with flow rate control and safety O2/N2O mixers was observed, whilst the safety parameters of these mixers were open to discussion. Respiratory monitoring was not just confined to the mechanical aspects, as 65% of centres wished to monitor FIO2. The big centres and the teaching hospitals were interested by the expiratory CO2 monitoring. This inquiry showed the interest in respiratory safety in operating theatres. Further studies should confirm or not the increasing interest in closed systems.