• C R Bailey, R Ruggier, and J N Cashman.
• Department of Anaesthetics, St Georges Hospital, Tooting, London.
• Anaesthesia. 1993 Oct 1; 48 (10): 906-9.

AbstractWe questioned 50 anaesthetic staff about the costs of consumables used in routine anaesthetic practice. By means of a questionnaire staff were asked for estimates of the cost of 28 drugs, fluids and disposables. The responses were more accurate than in previous surveys; 47% of all the estimated costs were within 50% of the actual costs and 75% were within 100%. The costs of relatively expensive items such as blood, laryngeal mask airways, enflurane and isoflurane were consistently underestimated whereas cheaper items such as disposable syringes and electrocardiograph electrodes were consistently overestimated. Using 'state of the art' consumables, an hour-long anaesthetic in 1992 cost 14.02 pounds compared with 1.24 pounds in 1959. However, allowing for inflation, the cost today is actually equivalent to the cost in 1959. Since 1980 there has been no consistent pattern in drug prices, with some prices remaining the same, others falling and some increasing; all are, however, cheaper in real terms. It is possible to make substantial savings by using the more expensive drugs judiciously and by encouraging the use of low-flow, closed-circuit anaesthetic systems.

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