Anesthesia technicians

Anesthesia technicians are biomedical personnel who assist anesthesiologists, nurse anesthetists, and anesthesiologist assistants in the operating room with monitoring equipment, supplies, and patient care procedures. 

A technician was remotely handling an old, opened, metal can of anesthesia grade ethyl ether to add more ethyl alcohol as an inhibitor. Enough inhibitor was thought to be present, so the ether was not considered hazardous. The liquid level in the can was low so the technician had to tilt the can to pipette out an aliquot for the peroxide test strip. As the technician turned the can... 

The shortcomings in these areas include incomplete and inconsistent medication history in patient charts, pharmaceutical care not provided routinely, large number of abbreviations used on preprinted forms and in medication communications (verbal and written), medication brands changed without the knowledge of surgical teams or technicians, hazardous chemical found in close proximity to products designated for patient use, top of anesthesia carts cluttered, medication "stashes" found in selected areas, inconsistent preoperative teaching of patients, and inconsistent system of double-checks [10]. 

Nowadays, pediatric embolotherapy has become feasible, thanks to the availability of microcatheters. Such procedures must be performed in tertiary pediatric centers, because newborns, infants, and children require special attention in the choice of general anesthesia versus sedation, control of temperature, fluids, radiation hazards, and dedicated equipment. These procedures rely upon a team of trained nurses, radiology technicians, interventional radiologists, and anesthesiologists. 

---