Alert raises concern about failures of anaesthetic equipment
NHS hospitals have received a national alert following a series of incidents involving the anaesthetic machines used during operations under general anaesthetic. The alert warned about the number of malfunctions and cases of misuse which have caused patients harm in the last year.
On average, 250 anaesthetic incidents are reported annually with the majority of these relating to misuse rather than technical faults with the machines. A specific case that was highlighted recently detailed how an error with the connection of the machine to a patient caused a misdiagnosis and incorrect prescription of drugs, resulting in a pneumothorax (collapsed lung) which severely endangered the life of the patient. Hospitals have been warned to ensure that they have an alternative means of ventilation that is immediately available before embarking on an operation under general anaesthetic, in the event that anything goes wrong. Particular suggestions by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) include a “self-inflating bag” which can be used to manually ventilate a patient whilst identifying the cause of the problem.
The alert is to serve as a reminder to all hospitals and anaesthetists that precautionary measures should be taken at all times to prevent misuse and that there should be procedures in place to avoid serious incidents.
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