Theatre monitor alarm settings: a pilot survey in Scotland and Belgium

The use of alarms on operating theatre equipment was explored in a question naire to anaesthetists in Belgium and Scotland. They were presented with a scenario of a fit male having an anaesthetic for an abdominal operation. Th e overall response rate was 72%, giving 100 records for analysis. The respo nses from Scottish and Belgian anaesthetists were similar except for views on setting an upper limit for systolic arterial pressure; Scottish anaesthe tists seemed relatively unwilling to set an upper systolic arterial pressur e limit. Beyond this, the respondents considered alarms to be a method of d etecting problems before they occur and they readjust alarms for each patie nt. They would set systolic arterial pressure alarms 30 mmHg above and belo w the patients normal pressure, the heart rate alarms 30 bpm above and 20 b pm below the actual rate, and the peripheral oxygen saturation lower alarm limit to 90%.