The role of technological advances in promoting anesthesia patient safety

A reasonable approach to examining the role of technology in promoting pati ent safety in anesthesia practice is to review changes that I have witnesse d in the discipline over the past 45 years and then to evaluate the relativ e importance of technological advances compared with developments, such as improved education and training, risk management-peer review mechanisms, an d a higher caliber of physicians entering the field In the USA, there has b een healthy debate on this subject for some time. This review will examine the anesthetic agents, ancillary drugs, anesthesia machines, and monitoring techniques commonly used 45 years ago and will describe the safety level o f anesthesia in past years. Finally, the emergence of improved agents, new cardiac and other drugs, anesthesia machine safeguards, and technological m onitoring equipment will be Graced. Clearly these changes have led to impro vement in anesthesia-related morbidity and mortality over the decades.