Anaesthesia for day case surgery: a survey of paediatric clinical practice in the UK.
OBJECTIVE
In October 2000, we conducted a national postal survey of day case consultant anaesthetists in the UK to explore the range and variation in practice of anaesthetizing a patient for day case surgery (paediatrics, urology and orthopaedics). This paper reports the findings of this national survey of paediatric day case anaesthetic practice carried out as part of a major two-centre randomized controlled trial designed to investigate the costs and outcome of several anaesthetic techniques during day care surgery in paediatric and adult patients (cost-effectiveness study of anaesthesia in day case surgery).


METHODS
The survey used a structured postal questionnaire and collected data on the duration of surgical procedure; the use of premedication; the anaesthetic agents used for induction and maintenance; the fresh gas flow rates used for general anaesthesia; the use of antiemetics; and the administration of local anaesthesia and analgesia.


RESULTS
The overall response rate for the survey was 74 and 63% for the paediatric section of the survey. Respondents indicated that 19% used premedication, 63% used propofol for induction, 54% used isoflurane for maintenance, 24% used prophylactic antiemetics and 85%, used a laryngeal mask. The findings of this national survey are discussed and compared with published evidence.


CONCLUSIONS
This survey identifies the variation in clinical practice in paediatric day surgery anaesthesia in the UK.
Payne
K
K
University of Manchester, School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manchester, UK. katherine.payne@man.ac.uk
Moore
E W
EW
Elliott
R A
RA
Moore
J K
JK
McHugh
G A
GA
D000556:Ambulatory Surgical Procedures; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000758:Anesthesia; D000768:Anesthesia, General; D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation / Q000008:administration & dosage; D018686:Anesthetics, Intravenous / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000932:Antiemetics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002944:Circumcision, Male; D003625:Data Collection; D006801:Humans; D007432:Intraoperative Period; D008297:Male; D020250:Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011292:Premedication; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom
D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation; D018686:Anesthetics, Intravenous; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D000932:Antiemetics