Target controlled infusion (TCI) anaesthesia using propofol. Assessment oftraining and practice in the operating room.

Objective: To evaluate overall awareness of TCI and the need for training i n the TCI technique. To assess, among trained anaesthetists, the value of t he session and the impact of TCI technique on their working practice. Study design: Two prospective domestic surveys during the first quarter of 1999. Methods: Three hundred anaesthetists representative of French anaesthetists as a whole, and 336 anaesthetists who had taken part in a training course. Results: The notoriety of TCI was high and greater in the public sector com pared with the private sector. Almost 3/4 of anaesthetists believed that tr aining was necessary but only four anaesthetists out of ten TCI users said they had taken part in training sessions. After the training session nine a naesthetists out of ten became TCI users and would have recommended the tra ining course despite the low number and variety of anaesthetic procedures o bserved during the practical part of training. The main difficulties report ed during initial use were the choice of target concentrations and the mana gement of drug interactions. Familiarisation to the technique was rapid (le ss than 20 procedures). Despite the lack of long experience (16 months for more than 2/3 of them), TCI appeared to be more likely used for anaesthesia of average duration. Conclusions: TCI was perceived to be an innovative concept with a requireme nt of a specific training. This preliminary appraisal of training sessions was generally satisfactory but underline a need for future training session s focused on practical aspects. (C) 2001 Editions scientifiques et medicale s Elsevier SAS.