Attitudes and practices of New Zealand anaesthetists with regard to emergency drugs

A postal survey of anaesthetists practising in New Zealand assessed practic es with regard to the preparation of pre-drawn syringes of emergency drugs in theatre, and attitudes towards the drawing up of drugs by non-medically qualified assistants. Opinion and practice varied widely; a qual ter of res pondents routinely draw? up such dl ngs and a third either never or very in frequently no so. The drugs most commonly drawn lip in this way were suxame thonium, atropine, syntocinon, ephedrine and metaraminol. Providing anaesth esia single-handed, anaesthesia involving paediatric, obstetric or vascular cases, the use of major regional techniques and laryngeal mask anaesthesia were reported as factors which prompted a number of respondents to draw, u p one ol more Of these drugs. The majority (68.5%) had received no teaching on the issue and nearly all (83.5%) reported that there Mas no institution al policy in their workplace(s). "Syringe swap" or "wrong drug" errors rela ted to such pre-drawn drugs were reported by 26.5%, while delay in drawing up a drug in an emergency was reported by 37%. Nearly all (98%) respondents believed that it was acceptable for an anaesthetic technician (or similar assistant) to draw up drugs in an emergency but only 14% approved of assist ants drawing up drugs routinely. We conclude that these is no uniformity of opinion amongst New Zealand anaesthetists about which if any drugs should be pre-dl awn for possible emergency use, and that few would endorse the dr awing Icp of drugs by non-medically qualified assistants, except in emergen cy, or under other clearly delineated circumstances.