Abstract
Objective: To assess the incidence and the causes of failures of anaesthesia machines. Study design: Prospective survey from August 1995 to September 1997. Material: Check-list and machine failure forms. Methods: Failures of anaesthetic machines have been collected and entered into a database. Causes and treatment of each failure have been analysed. Results: Of 5,096 foreseen forms, 3,926 (77%) have been completed after check-list or anaesthesia machine failure. Overall, 233 incidents have been declared (4.5%). Failures identified during the preoperative check-list (n = 96) were mainly related to mechanical problems, especially the gas proportioning device (35%). Perioperative failures (n = 137) were mostly related to electronic problems (ventilator: 27% and monitor: 57%). In more than half of the cases, a specially trained anaesthetic nurse was able to correct the failure in the operating theatre. Using 14 anaesthetic machines for 12 operating rooms, no procedure was cancelled because of a technical failure of a machine. Conclusions: This study emphasises the value of the check-list and the failure report. The presence of a specially trained anaesthetic nurse allows immediate correction of the majority of technical problems.
| Translated title of the contribution | Survey of anaesthesia machine failures recognized before and during anaesthesia |
|---|---|
| Original language | French |
| Pages (from-to) | 303-308 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Annales Francaises d'Anesthesie et de Reanimation |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 1999 |