Summary

In study session IV you have learnt

• Equipment should be checked thoroughly each day and an abbreviated check of all equipment shall be completed before each anesthetic. The incorporation of a system check into the daily routine of setting up for surgery can help early detection of equipment problems and potentially avoid emergencies during anesthesia.
• The anesthetist should complete the following before bringing the patient to operating room: check the function of the components anesthesia machine and the breathing circuits, set up airway equipment, get all monitoring equipment ready including temperature, get drug ready drawn in syringe and labeled , check with OR staff are ready immediately prior to anesthesia, identify the patient, check allergy and NPO status, proposed operation, availability/necessity of blood products and any change in the patient's health, discuse with the the surgeon about the patients condition and type of anesthesia you are planning.
• The ASA recommendations for pre anesthesia check out procedure should be applied on daily bases. It is also advisable that each hospital will prepare a procedure list which is appropriate for checkout of each type of gas machine they use.
• Testing and calibration of equipment ensures accuracy, effectiveness and long life of equipments, which ultimately enables one to achieve the highest degree of quality control. Any measuring equipment or device needs to be tested and checked for its accuracy and calibrated by a biomedical technician.