Assessment of Compliance with Pre-Anaesthesia Machine Check and Airway Equipment Preparedness in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Pakistan
Assessment of Compliance with Pre-Anaesthesia Machine Check and Airway Equipment Preparedness
Keywords:
Anesthesia machine check; Airway equipment; Compliance; Patient safety; Perioperative safety; Pakistan.Abstract
Background: Pre-anesthesia machine checks and adequate airway-equipment preparedness are essential components of perioperative safety, yet adherence to individual safety measures may remain inconsistent. Objective: To assess compliance with pre-anesthesia machine checks and preparedness of airway equipment among anesthesia personnel in a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional observational study was conducted at University of Lahore Teaching Hospital, Lahore, from December 2024 to March 2025. Forty-eight anesthesia personnel contributed 90 observations. A structured checklist assessed 22 machine-check and 10 airway-equipment components. Data were analyzed descriptively using frequencies and percentages. Results: Overall machine-check compliance was 87.6% (1,735/1,980 assessments). Compliance was 100% for self-inflating bag availability and functionality of pulse oximetry, capnography, and non-invasive blood-pressure monitoring, but was lowest for circuit configuration and connections (65.6%), backup-battery checking (75.6%), and cylinder-pressure checking (77.8%). Overall airway-equipment preparedness was 83.4% (751/900 assessments). Endotracheal tubes were universally available (100%), followed by bougie and stylet (97.8%) and I-gel (92.2%). Preparedness was lowest for nasal airways (63.3%), difficult-airway carts (72.2%), and functional laryngoscope illumination (72.2%). Conclusion: Machine-check compliance and airway-equipment preparedness were moderate overall, with specific deficiencies in technical machine checks and difficult-airway resources representing priority areas for improvement. Keywords: Anesthesia machine check; Airway equipment; Compliance; Patient safety; Perioperative safety; Pakistan.
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