Routine use of depth of anaesthesia monitoring in patients receiving volatile anaesthesia: is it worth it?

Abstract

This article discusses the place of routine use of depth of anaesthesia monitoring in patients receiving volatile anaesthesia. Benefits include reducing the probability of accidental awareness or excessive depth of anaesthesia, and creating training opportunities to improve familiarity with its use, but these must be weighed against the costs, as it may not be advantageous from a cost–benefit perspective.