title: [Human means and equipment for anesthetic safety].
abstract: Accidents caused by anesthesia constitute 4% of peri-operative mortality and are mostly preventable. The methods for reducing these accidents in pre-, intra- and post-operative situations are explained. Pre-operative tests are ineffective when used without clinical guidance which requires a pre-anesthetic consultation. Intra-operative mistakes result primarily from human errors. Ongoing patient monitoring allows for early detection of symptoms and should be used generally. To be most efficient, it is necessary to employ trained technicians and assure regular maintenance. Postoperative safety depends on nurses in the Post Anesthetic Care Unit. A recent study has shown that 50% of the patients did not receive adequate postanesthetic care as compared to 66% ten years ago. This situation requires a rapid improvement. The rational utilization of the described methods for improving anesthetic safely means avoiding the dispersion of anesthetic units. Professional demographics contradicts the idea that an increase in the number of anesthesiologists could solve problems caused by deficient organizations or systems.
authors.affiliation: Département d'Anesthésie-Réanimation, Hôpital Saint-Antoine, Paris.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lienhart
mesh_terms: D000776:Anesthesiology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D000777:Anesthetics / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D012449:Safety
chemical_list: D000777:Anesthetics
vernacular_title: Les moyens humains et matériels de la sécurité anesthésique.