Equipment and monitoring - what is in the future to improve safety?

Abstract

There have been a number of recent developments in the practice of anesthesia and intensive care aimed at improving outcome in terms of reducing both morbidity and mortality, as well as other less-defined factors, such as quality of service provision. Significant advances have been made in airway devices such as pediatric tracheal tube designs, Microcuff(®) tracheal tubes, and new laryngoscopes. Noninvasive monitoring devices, including continuous hemoglobin analysis and near infrared spectrometry, are being increasingly used in pediatric anesthesia. Other, 'scaled-down' versions from adult anesthesia care, however, have not universally been shown to result in improved safety and outcomes in pediatric anesthesia.