Improving the day case rate for laparoscopic cholecystectomy via introduction of a dedicated clinical pathway.

Day case laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a safe and economical procedure. However, successful discharge on the same day of the procedure has been difficult to achieve at our institution. This study introduced a standardised anaesthetic pathway aiming to increase same day discharges. This led to an overall increase in same day discharges from 42.0% to 54.1%. When the pathway was fully followed, 71% of patients were discharged on the same day. When the pathway was not followed at all, the same day discharge rate was 0%. Our study successfully demonstrates that small enhancements to perioperative care can accelerate patient recovery and improve same day discharges.

Microbial stability of syringes of anesthetic drugs prepared in the operating room.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine whether microbial contamination of anesthesia syringes prepared in the operating room (OR) become contaminated in a time-dependent fashion. DESIGN: Observational. SETTING: Operating suite in a major university hospital. PATIENTS: None (in vitro study). 400 syringes were studied for microbial contamination. INTERVENTIONS: Syringes prepared in the OR by anesthesia personnel were sampled at 1, 2, 3, or 4 h in a sterile fashion and sent to the microbiology laboratory for quantitative culture of any bacteria. MEASUREMENTS: Colony forming units (CFU) per mL of drug were calculated and any identified positive cultures were identified by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry. Logistic regression was used to test the effect of time since preparation on prevalence of positive culture, as was the effect of number of accesses of the syringe and identity of the drug. MAIN RESULTS: Overall, 9/400 (2.25%) syringes were positive for bacteria. The median (interquartile range [IQR]) concentration of bacteria among positive cultures was 100 (100,100) CFU. All cultured species were generally nonpathogenic common contaminants. There was no effect of time since preparation, number of accesses of the syringe at the time of sampling, or drug identity (propofol vs. other). CONCLUSIONS: Contamination of anesthesia syringes is uncommon and occurs at a low overall concentration of bacteria. Contamination does not appear to be time related, and thus calls into question the reasonableness of USP Chapter 797's one-hour requirement.

Anesthetic Considerations for the Transcatheter Management of Mitral Valve Disease.

The development of transcatheter interventions to provide a minimally invasive alternative to open surgical repair has revolutionized the care of patients with valvular heart disease. Recently, this technology has been expanded to allow for the treatment of pathology of the mitral valve. This review discusses the anesthetic considerations for patients presenting for transcatheter management of mitral valve disease, including transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) and transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVRep). The initial focus is on the current literature on transcatheter interventions for mitral valve pathologies as well as current and developing technology for TMVR and TMVRep. The authors' institutional experience with anesthetic management for the TMVR and TMVRep procedures is described, including potential pitfalls and complications, concluding with a discussion of the role of transesophageal echocardiography in the care of this patient population.

Marijuana Use in the Anesthetized Patient: History, Pharmacology, and Anesthetic Considerations.

Marijuana consumption is growing in the United States because of state legalization for recreational and medical use. However, many anesthesia practitioners are unaware of the potential adverse effects that may occur if marijuana is taken before the administration of an anesthetic. This review provides a history of marijuana use, the current laws and regulations, the pharmacology of marijuana, and best evidence-based practices related to anesthetic care of the marijuana user.

Anesthetic Management of a Laboring Patient With a Closed-Loop Stimulation Pacemaker: A Case Report.

A new generation of cardiac implantable devices, known as Closed Loop Stimulation pacemakers, are now utilized to reduce episodes of bradycardia, syncope, and tachycardia in pregnant women. The device functions differently than conventional pacemakers by responding to changes in the patient`s cardiac output and heart rate based on physiologic demands and acute mental stress. Increased metabolic demands, including physiologic stress often accompany pregnancy, labor, and delivery. The Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist providing analgesia and anesthesia for the laboring patient with CLS pacemaker may encounter rapid changes in heart rates, initiation of pacing modes, and hypotension resulting from reduced cardiac outputs. The ability to differentiate and diagnose the causes of hemodynamic changes and provide appropriate interventions is essential to optimize maternal and fetal outcomes. This case report details the anesthetic management of a laboring twenty-five-year-old primigravida with an implantable CLS pacemaker secondary to a history of third degree heart block, cardiac ablation after supraventricular tachycardia, and seizures. The parturient experienced intermittent pacing after neuraxial analgesia. Anticipation of the CLS pacemaker's response to the parturient's physiological and emotional response during the labor process will be discussed including recommendations to optimize maternal and fetal outcomes.

Sistemas de TCI en circuito cerrado para la hipnosis en cirugía ambulatoria / Hypnosis closed loop TCI systems in outpatient surgery

Objetivo. Evaluar la influencia de los sistemas de circuito cerrado para anestesia general en los resultados de la cirugía de varices en régimen de cirugía mayor ambulatoria. Pacientes y métodos. Estudio observacional retrospectivo en el que se incluyeron 270 pacientes entre los años 2014 y 2015. En el Grupo CL se incluyeron pacientes que recibieron propofol en asa cerrada guiada por BIS y remifentanilo en TCI. Y en el Grupo C, los que no recibieron una anestesia en circuito cerrado. La edad, el sexo, la duración de la cirugía, el tiempo de descarga y los fracasos en la ambulatorización fueron recogidos. Tras verificar el tipo de distribución mediante el test de Kolmogorov-Smirnov-Lilliefors, las variables cuantitativas fueron analizadas mediante el test de la t de Student o el de Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon, según el caso. Las variables cualitativas fueron analizadas mediante el test de la Chi cuadrado. El tiempo de descarga fue además analizado mediante curvas de supervivencia (Kaplan-Meier) y se calculó el tamaño del efecto con la d de Cohen. El análisis estadístico se realizó utilizando software R 3.2.3 binary para Mac OS X 10.9. Resultados. No se hallaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas salvo en los tiempos de descarga, que fueron menores en el Grupo CL: 200 (100) vs. 180 (82,5), p=0,005 (mediana y rango intercuartílico). Conclusión. El uso de dispositivos de asa cerrada para el componente hipnótico de la anestesia reduce los tiempos de descarga. Pero se precisaría optimizar el funcionamiento de nuestra Unidad de Cirugía Mayor Ambulatoria para que la reducción fuese clínicamente relevante (AU)

Objective. Determine the influence of general anaesthesia with closed-loop systems in the results of outpatient varicose vein surgery. Patients and methods. Retrospective observational study including data from 270 outpatients between 2014 and 2015. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to the type of general anaesthesia used. The CL Group included patients who received propofol in closed-loop guided by BIS and remifentanil using TCI, and the C Group received non-closed-loop anaesthesia. Age, sex, surgical time, discharge time and failure of outpatient surgery were recorded. Quantitative data were checked for normal distribution by the method of Kolmogorov-Smirnov-Lilliefors. Differences between groups were analysed by a Student-t-test or Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test, depending on their distribution. Categorical data were analysed by a Chi-squared test. We used Kaplan-Meier estimator and the effect size (calculated by Cohen's d) to study the discharge time. Statistical analysis was performed using R 3.2.3 binary for Mac OS X 10.9. Results. There were no significant differences in age, sex and surgical time and failure of outpatient surgery. Discharge time was different in both groups: 200 (100) vs. 180 (82.5) minutes, C Group and CL Group, respectively (data are median and interquartile rank); P=.005. Conclusion. The use of closed-loop devices for the hypnotic component of anaesthesia hastens discharge time. However, for this effect to be clinically significant, some improvements still need to be made in our outpatient surgery units (AU)

Wet or Dry? A Review of Intravenous Fluid Administration in Anesthesia Practice.

Fluid therapy has dramatically changed since its early inception nearly 200 years ago. Administration of intravenous fluid (IVF) has evolved from a "drip" technique to the algorithmic approach of the anesthetic fluid plan, and is now moving toward Goal-Directed Fluid Therapy. As the science and culture of fluid management evolves, anesthetists must remain focused on "why" anesthetic fluid matters. The purpose of IVF administration is to support tissue perfusion and maintain euvolemia. As the evidence underlying perioperative practice matures and the science of anesthesia races to meet the evolving demands of surgery, anesthetists must align knowledge generation with the individualized needs of the patient. The future of perioperative IVF therapy will be patient centric. In the near future, anesthetists will know the patient's blood volume before, during, and after the surgery. They will no longer depend on inaccurate surrogates to estimate, but have the knowledge to titrate fluids to maintain a zero balance. Practice will move away from algorithms and toward individualized fluid administration based on reproducible end points. Decisions about fluid selection, timing, and volume will be driven by patient- and case-specific requirements as specific as when a patient is typed and crossed for blood transfusion. The greatest challenge for the anesthetist in perioperative fluid therapy is to move beyond the dogmatic practices of the past and toward fluid therapy guided by patient centric evidence.

EFFECTIVENESS OF THE ANESTHETIC AQUI-S® 20E IN MARINE FINFISH AND ELASMOBRANCHS.

Immersion anesthetics are used in hatchery settings by veterinarians, field biologists, and laboratory researchers to aid in handling finfish for medical procedures, research purposes, and moderating perceived stress responses. The only Food and Drug Administration- (FDA) approved anesthetic for food fish, tricaine methanesulfonate, requires a 21-d withdrawal period prior to harvest. Ten percent eugenol (AQUI-S® 20E) has been gaining momentum for FDA approval because of its 0-d withdrawal time if fish are not of harvestable size within 72 h of exposure. We performed two trials to determine appropriate anesthetic doses for two cultured marine finfish: Atractoscion nobilis (white seabass, WSB) and Seriola lalandi (California yellowtail, YT). Fish were held in a treated water bath for 10 min or until opercular beat rate slowed to a rate of <2 beats/min. Based on these results, we conducted a field trial with wild Paralabrax maculatofasciatus (spotted bay bass), Paralabrax nebulifer (barred sand bass), Paralichthys californicus (California halibut), Triakis semifasciata (leopard shark), and Mustelus californicus (grey smooth-hound) at a single dosing regime, with animals held 5-10 min in anesthetic baths. Anesthetic dosing of 35-55 mg L(-1) provided relatively fast induction and good anesthetic maintenance in cultured and wild finfish. Anesthetic induction times were comparable among S. lalandi and A. nobilis at 35-mg L(-1) to 75-mg L(-1) doses, but recovery times were variable. Mortality rates of 20-90% were observed at higher doses (75 mg L(-1) and 100 mg L(-1), A. nobilis; 55 mg L(-1) and 75 mg L(-1), S. lalandi). The apparent increase in sensitivity of S. lalandi may have been associated with nutritional stress in the fish tested. There were no differences in time to anesthesia or recovery among wild finfish species tested at a single dose. Anesthetic induction, maintenance, and recovery were less predictable in the elasmobranch species tested and additional trials are needed to determine optimal dosing.

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery: It's Time to Change Practice!

Perioperative surgical care is undergoing a paradigm shift. Traditional practices such as prolonged preoperative fasting (nil by mouth from midnight), bowel cleaning, and reintroduction of oral nutrition 3-5 days after surgery are being shunned. These and other similar changes have been formulated into a protocol called Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) pathway. It is a multimodal perioperative care pathway designed to achieve early recovery after surgical procedures by maintaining preoperative organ function and reducing the profound stress response following surgery. The key elements of an ERAS protocol include preoperative counseling, optimization of nutrition, standardized analgesic and anesthetic regimes, and early mobilization. The recent literature is heavily influenced by colorectal surgery, but the principles are now being applied to a wide range of disciplines. As they challenge traditional surgical doctrine, the implementation of ERAS guidelines has been slow, despite the significant body of evidence indicating that ERAS guidelines may lead to improved outcomes.

Anesthetic selection and disease-free survival following optimal primary cytoreductive surgery for stage III epithelial ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have offered conflicting results regarding an association between perioperative epidural analgesia and disease-free survival (DFS) following optimal primary cytoreductive surgery for stage III epithelial ovarian cancer. A possible separate role for inhalational anesthetics has not been assessed. METHODS: We conducted a historical cohort study of all women undergoing optimal primary cytoreduction (<1 cm residual disease) for Stage III epithelial ovarian cancer between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2011, at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Cohorts were defined by exposure to perioperative epidural analgesia or exposure to specific volatile anesthetics. The primary outcome was DFS. RESULTS: A total of 194 patients met study inclusion criteria. Addition of epidural analgesia was associated with a lower overall rate of ovarian cancer recurrence compared with general anesthesia alone (72 vs. 85 %, p = 0.028). Longer median DFS was associated with more than 48 h of epidural use (14.9 months) compared with fewer than 24 h (10.9 months) or 24-48 h of epidural use (10.0 months; p = 0.025). Use of desflurane was associated with a lower overall rate of ovarian cancer recurrence compared with sevoflurane (63 vs. 84 %, p = 0.01). In multivariate analysis, use of desflurane was independently associated with improved DFS (hazards ratio 0.563; 95% confidence interval 0.33-0.962). CONCLUSIONS: For patients with Stage III ovarian cancer, use of desflurane is associated with improved DFS following primary cytoreductive surgery compared with other volatile anesthetics. If epidural analgesia offers additional benefit, this effect appears limited to patients with more than 48 h of postoperative epidural use.

A System for Anesthesia Drug Administration Using Barcode Technology: The Codonics Safe Label System and Smart Anesthesia Manager.

BACKGROUND: Many anesthetic drug errors result from vial or syringe swaps. Scanning the barcodes on vials before drug preparation, creating syringe labels that include barcodes, and scanning the syringe label barcodes before drug administration may help to prevent errors. In contrast, making syringe labels by hand that comply with the recommendations of regulatory agencies and standards-setting bodies is tedious and time consuming. A computerized system that uses vial barcodes and generates barcoded syringe labels could address both safety issues and labeling recommendations. METHODS: We measured compliance of syringe labels in multiple operating rooms (ORs) with the recommendations of regulatory agencies and standards-setting bodies before and after the introduction of the Codonics Safe Label System (SLS). The Codonics SLS was then combined with Smart Anesthesia Manager software to create an anesthesia barcode drug administration system, which allowed us to measure the rate of scanning syringe label barcodes at the time of drug administration in 2 cardiothoracic ORs before and after introducing a coffee card incentive. Twelve attending cardiothoracic anesthesiologists and the OR satellite pharmacy participated. RESULTS: The use of the Codonics SLS drug labeling system resulted in >75% compliant syringe labels (95% confidence interval, 75%-98%). All syringe labels made using the Codonics SLS system were compliant. The average rate of scanning barcodes on syringe labels using Smart Anesthesia Manager was 25% (730 of 2976) over 13 weeks but increased to 58% (956 of 1645) over 8 weeks after introduction of a simple (coffee card) incentive (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: An anesthesia barcode drug administration system resulted in a moderate rate of scanning syringe label barcodes at the time of drug administration. Further, adaptation of the system will be required to achieve a higher utilization rate.

Efficacy of paediatric anaesthetic trolleys: A call for a basic standard and layout.

BACKGROUND: Providing safe anaesthesia to children especially in emergency situations goes hand in hand with instant availability of appropriately sized equipment and monitoring. This is best achieved using a designated paediatric anaesthetic trolley containing essential equipment. Guidance for the contents of such trolleys is neither explicit nor standard. We used a survey and a qualitative enquiry to develop a checklist suitable for standardisation of contents and layout of paediatric anaesthetic trolleys. METHODS: We conducted an observational study of our current practice and paediatric anaesthetic trolleys in a tertiary care hospital. We also performed a qualitative enquiry from experienced paediatric anaesthetists and operating department practitioners.We developed an empirical checklist to ensure the minimum 'essential' equipment is available on these trolleys and implemented a standard layout to facilitate its use. RESULTS: We identified 11 areas in our hospital where anaesthesia is provided to children, each with a designated paediatric anaesthetic trolley. There were considerable deficiencies of items in all areas with no standard pattern or layout. Different types of trolleys contributed to the confusion. In addition, overstocking of inappropriate items hindered its efficient use. CONCLUSION: Standardising the contents and layout of the paediatric anaesthetic trolley is an essential pre-requisite for safer paediatric anaesthetic practice.

Efeitos sedativos da associação de Cetamina e Midazolam administrados pela via intranasal ou intramuscular em papagaio (Amazona aestiva e Amazona vinacea) / Sedative effects of the association Ketamine and Midazolam administered intranasally or intramuscular in parrots (Amazona aestiva and Amazona vinacea)

A falta de protocolos de sedação seguros para uso em papagaios na literatura demonstra a necessidade de conhecer os anestésicos que são eficazes nestes animais. Devido a pouca massa muscular desta espécie, notou-se a necessidade de estudar outra via de administração, menos invasiva e dolorosa ao animal, como a via intranasal. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar os efeitos sedativos e a viabilidade da administração intranasal, em comparação à via intramuscular, de 15mg/kg de Cetamina e 1mg/kg de Midazolam. Foram utilizados 14 papagaios das espécies Amazona aestiva e Amazona vinacea, de ambos os sexos, adultos, peso médio de 388,5±29,1g. Os animais foram distribuídos aleatoriamente em dois grupos: intramuscular (IM, n=7) e intranasal (IN, n=7). No grupo intramuscular, a administração dos anestésicos foi realizada nos músculos peitorais, utilizando seringas de insulina e no grupo intranasal, com auxílio de uma micropipeta. Avaliou-se o período de latência, tempo de duração, qualidade de sedação, e o tempo de recuperação total. A média para o período de latência no grupo IM foi de 6,13±2,02 minutos e no grupo IN de 4,84±2,37 minutos. Já para o tempo de duração da sedação no grupo IM a média foi de 35,81±29,56 e no grupo IN de 24,52±14,83 minutos. Ambas as vias promoveram sedação adequada, pois a média do escore da qualidade de sedação obtida pelo grupo IM foi 2±1,5 e pelo grupo IN 1,28±1,1. O tempo de recuperação total no grupo IM foi de 27,04±11,69 e no grupo IN de 17,67±11,64 minutos. Apesar do grupo IN ter apresentado os menores tempos de período de latência, duração e de recuperação total e ter obtido melhor escore na qualidade de sedação, não houve diferença estatística significativa entre os grupos. Os resultados obtidos neste estudo indicam que a administração de 15 mg/kg de cetamina e 1mg/kg de midazolam pela via intranasal ou intramuscular em papagaios (Amazona aestiva e Amazona vinacea) produzem sedação adequada para pequenos procedimentos como colocação de anilha, coleta de sangue e radiografias; porém a via intranasal mostrou ser uma alternativa menos invasiva quando comparado à via intramuscular.

The lack of safe sedation protocols for use in parrots in the literature, demonstrate the need to know that the anesthetics are effective in these animals. Due to low muscle mass this bird, it was noted the need to consider other routes of administration, less invasive and painful to the animal, such as intranasal. The aim of this study was to evaluate sedative effects of intranasal administration compared to intramuscular 15mg.kg-1 of Ketamine and Midazolam 1mg.kg-1. We used 14 parrots (Amazona aestiva and Amazona vinacea), adults, and mean weight of 388.5±29.1g. The animals were randomly into two groups: intramuscular (IM, n=7) and intranasal (IN, n=7). In group intramuscular, administration of anesthetics was performed in the pectoral muscles, using insulin syringes and intranasal group with a micropipette. We evaluated the latency period, duration, quality of sedation, and the total recovery time. The average for the period of latency in the IM group was 6.13±2.02 and IN group 4.84±2.37 minutes. As for the duration of sedation in the IM group was 35.81±29.56 and in IN group 24.52±14.83 minutes. Both pathways promoted adequate sedation, the mean score for the quality of sedation obtained by the IM group was 2±1.5 and 1.28±1.1 in the IN group. The total recovery time in the IM group was 27.04±11.69 and 17.67±11.64 minutes in the IN group. Although the IN group the lowest times of onset, duration and full recovery and have better scores on quality of sedation, there was no statistically significant difference between groups. The results of this study indicate that administration of ketamine (15mg.kg-1) and midazolam (1mg.kg-1) intranasal or intramuscular in parrots (Amazona aestiva/Amazona vinacea) produce adequate sedation for minor procedures, but the intranasal route could be an alternative less invasive when compared to intramuscular injection.

Circumcision: what should be done?

I explain why I think that considerations regarding the opposing rights involved in the practice of circumcision-rights of the individual to bodily integrity and rights of the community to practice its religion-would not help us decide on the desirable policy towards this controversial practice. I then suggest a few measures that are not in conflict with either religious or community rights but that can both reduce the harm that circumcision as currently practiced involves and bring about a change in attitude towards the practice, thus further reducing its frequency. These measures are the compulsory administration of anaesthetics; the banning of the metzitzah b'peh; and having an upper age limit of a few months on non-therapeutic circumcision of minors. I conclude with general considerations on why the steps taken towards the reform of circumcision should be moderate.

Barrier protection capacity of flip-top pharmaceutical vials.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To test the sterility of medication vial tops after removal of the dust cover, and to survey anesthesia providers for their perceptions surrounding medication vials and sterility. DESIGN: Experimental design and survey instrument. SETTING: Ambulatory and hospital care setting. PARTICIPANTS: Anesthesia providers in the United States. MEASUREMENTS: A two-question survey was distributed to anesthesia providers in the U.S. An experimental model was conducted on a total of 42 medication vials. The access diaphragms of medication vials were sampled after routine handling, after exposure to aerosolized contamination with the dust cover on, and after submersion into a bacterial medium with the dust cover on. MAIN RESULTS: 878 responses to Question 1 and 876 responses to Question 2 were received. Fifty-two percent of respondents declared that the access diaphragm was sterile in routine conditions, and 43% felt that (or were unsure if) the dust cover would prevent contamination when exposed to a contaminated environment. Two of the 12 vials sampled in the routine handling model had microbial contaminants on the access diaphragm. No growth was found on any of the 15 vials exposed to aerosolized E. coli. Seven of the 15 vials in the submersion model were contaminated. CONCLUSIONS: Anesthesia providers in the U.S. possess contradictory opinions of, and unclear knowledge about, the sterility of rubber stoppers used to access medications, and also the barrier capacity of a vial's dust cover. Standard anesthetic medication vial dust covers do not offer barrier protection against the growth of pathogens.

Validation of a system to detect scheduled drug diversion by anesthesia care providers.

BACKGROUND: We recently described a method to identify drug diversion in the operating room (OR) from automated drug dispensing carts by anesthesia care providers, based on a retrospective outlier analysis of atypical transactions. Such transactions included those occurring on patients after their exit from the OR and on patients whose drugs were not dispensed at the location where the case was performed. In this report, we demonstrate prospectively the utility of our methodology to detect diversion by unsuspected individuals. METHODS: Each month, all transactions involving scheduled drugs by anesthesia care providers are downloaded from the pharmacy database and matched to case records from the anesthesia information management system. The frequency of atypical transactions is determined for each provider, normalized by the number of days they worked in the OR. For individuals who are >2 SDs above the mean for the month for any of the screening queries, a manual examination of their drug transaction logs is performed. Anesthesia records for such providers are examined manually to help determine the likelihood that diversion is taking place, and evidence of escalating activity is considered. Actions taken depend on an assessment of the strength of the evidence that diversion has been occurring. RESULTS: Two unsuspected individuals were identified prospectively as diverting drugs. Two individuals identified as abusing drugs recreationally outside the workplace showed no evidence of drug diversion through examination of the screening reports and transaction logs, and their rehabilitation treatment teams concurred that there was a very low probability of diversion. A final individual who demonstrated suspicious activity by the screening process was determined to have been careless in documentation practices, rather than diverting. CONCLUSIONS: The drug diversion screening methodology previously developed is valid for the prospective detection of unsuspected individuals diverting drugs from the OR. The system also provides material useful in the evaluation of possible diversion by anesthesia providers determined to be abusing drugs outside the workplace.

Scandinavian clinical practice guidelines on general anaesthesia for emergency situations.

Emergency patients need special considerations and the number and severity of complications from general anaesthesia can be higher than during scheduled procedures. Guidelines are therefore needed. The Clinical Practice Committee of the Scandinavian Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine appointed a working group to develop guidelines based on literature searches to assess evidence, and a consensus meeting was held. Consensus opinion was used in the many topics where high-grade evidence was unavailable. The recommendations include the following: anaesthesia for emergency patients should be given by, or under very close supervision by, experienced anaesthesiologists. Problems with the airway and the circulation must be anticipated. The risk of aspiration must be judged for each patient. Pre-operative gastric emptying is rarely indicated. For pre-oxygenation, either tidal volume breathing for 3 min or eight deep breaths over 60 s and oxygen flow 10 l/min should be used. Pre-oxygenation in the obese patients should be performed in the head-up position. The use of cricoid pressure is not considered mandatory, but can be used on individual judgement. The hypnotic drug has a minor influence on intubation conditions, and should be chosen on other grounds. Ketamine should be considered in haemodynamically compromised patients. Opioids may be used to reduce the stress response following intubation. For optimal intubation conditions, succinylcholine 1-1.5 mg/kg is preferred. Outside the operation room, rapid sequence intubation is also considered the safest method. For all patients, precautions to avoid aspiration and other complications must also be considered at the end of anaesthesia.