Indian journal of anaesthesia
-
The technical advancement in the anaesthesia workstations has made the peri-operative anaesthesia more safer. Apart from other monitoring options, respiratory gas analysis has become an integral part of the modern anaesthesia workstations. Monitoring devices, such as an oxygen analyser with an audible alarm, carbon dioxide analyser, a vapour analyser, whenever a volatile anaesthetic is delivered have also been recommended by various anaesthesia societies. This review article discusses various techniques for analysis of flow, volumes and concentration of various anaesthetic agents including oxygen, nitrous oxide and volatile anaesthetic agents.
-
The main purpose of this review article is to bring up what has been known (practiced) about decontamination, disinfection, and sterilisation of anaesthetic equipment. It also discusses how this evidence-based information on infection prevention and control impacts care of patient in routine anaesthesia practice. This review underscores the role played by us, anaesthetists in formulating guidelines, implementing the same, monitoring the outcome and training post-graduate trainees and coworkers in this regard. ⋯ For this review, we conducted literature searches in Medline (PubMed) and also searched for relevant abstracts and full texts of related articles that we came across. There is much to be learned from the western world where, health care organisations now have legal responsibility to implement changes in accordance with the newer technology to reduce health care associated infection. There is a need to develop evidence-based infection prevention and control programs and set national guidelines for disinfection and sterilisation of anaesthesia equipment which all the institutions should comply with.