Can Items on an Aviation-Style Checklist for Preparation of Cesarean Delivery Under General Anesthesia Present a Threat for Patient Safety?

Abstract

In Response: We thank Dr. Schwarz for his comments on our paper. The points made about drug administration errors are well founded, and it is our standard practice to have the “nondepolarizing muscle relaxant” drawn up in a color-coded syringe and for all syringes to have color-coded labels. We do not support a system that would require essential staff to leave the operating room to obtain important drugs at a critical time. The authors of the systematic review that included this suggestion also wrote that “Its greatest weakness is the fundamental problem that very little of the evidence evaluated in this study was experimental, and most is simply opinion.” (1). In aviation, important procedures are cross-checked among members of the flight crew. A system where the anesthesiologist cross-checked drug administration with their assistants would be better than sending that assistant out to “fetch and carry.” Harry Owen, MD, FRCA, FANZCA Elaine Hart, MBBS Flinders University Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care Flinders Medical Centre Bedford Park, Australia [email protected]