Top 50 Concerns, Questions and Comments From Anesthesia Techs When Preparing for Alternate Site Anesthesia

A growing number of anesthetics are performed outside the O.R. The O.R., however, is not only our comfort zone as anesthesiologists but also the comfort zone of the anesthesia technologists and technicians. Through years of study and trial-and-error, we have created the ultimate anesthetic site with extensive monitoring as well as numerous resources to handle uncommon complications. As the liaison between ASA and the American Society of Anesthesia Technologists and Technicians (ASATT), writing an article on alternate-site anesthesia from the perspective of our techs seemed appropriate. Thousands of anesthetics are performed outside the O.R. at Penn State Hershey. Our anesthetizing sites include (but are not limited to): MRI, CT scanner, invasive radiology, radiation therapy, cardiac catheterization lab, interventional neuroradiology, adult and pediatric endoscopy suites, ICU, ER, and numerous small-procedure rooms throughout the hospital. At Pinnacle Health in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, we provide alternate-site coverage less frequently (but the numbers are growing);...