Anesthetic technician

An anesthetic technician is a healthcare professional who performs a patient care role predominantly with the administration and monitoring of anesthesia and has an extensive knowledge of anesthesia techniques, instruments, supplies and technology.
Anesthetic technicians are mainly employed by anesthetic departments or operating theatre suites, but can be found in other areas of clinical practice including emergency departments, intensive care units and day surgery clinics.

Role description

Anesthetic technicians are involved with all aspects of the delivery of a patient's perioperative anesthetic care, taking into account the patients' religious and cultural beliefs and respecting their right to medical privacy and dignity at all times. Anesthetic Technicians also provide a key role in the emergency resuscitation of patients.

Prior to anesthesia

Anesthetic technicians prepare equipment needed for the patient to safely undergo anesthesia. This involves:

checking and setting up the anesthetic machine
preparing intravenous drugs
preparing intravenous therapy administration equipment
preparing a range of devices to maintain the patient's airway
communicating with the patient when they arrive into the operating theatre
establish peripheral intravenous access.
applying anesthetic monitoring to help assess the patients' condition whilst under anesthesia. This may include electrocardiography, blood pressure and oxygen saturation devices. The monitoring of other parameters such as anesthesia depth monitors may also be necessary.

During anesthesia

The anesthetic technicians role includes assisting with:

inducing and maintaining adequate anesthesia.
establishing and securing an airway.
making sure that patients are positioned in such a way not to cause discomfort or injury during their procedure.
monitoring and maintaining patients' vital signs and anesthesia depth.
temperature monitoring and regulation.
collection and analysis of patient samples.
acquiring and administering transfusion fluids and equipment.

After anesthesia

Anesthetic technicians assist the anesthetist with:

waking the patient.by administration of reversal agent to access spontaneous recovery
removing airway devices.
transferring patients to post-operative care units

Other activities

Regional variations exist, but anesthetic technicians may also be involved with:

Occupational Hazards

Physical and Ergonomic Hazards

Anesthesia practice comes with a variety of physical, ergonomic, chemical, and biological risks in the workplace. The physical hazards associated with anesthesiology practice include noise exposure and ionizing radiation in the operating room. Anesthesia technicians also face ergonomic risks. In 2013, 85% of anesthesiologists reported having ergonomic inconveniences, and anesthesia technicians largely use the same equipment as anesthesiologists on top of having their own physically demanding responsibilities, such as restocking the anesthesia and setting up the equipment before operations.

Chemical Hazards

Inadequate disposal of waste anesthetic gases is one of the most common mistakes in the practice. Outdated or inadequate ventilation systems results in continuous exposure. Nitrous oxide is one of the most common gases used when conducting anesthesia operations. Chronic exposure has many side effects depending on how long technicians are exposed for. Short term exposure can lead to nausea, dizziness, and decreased cognitive performance while long term may affect reproductive functions.

Biological Hazards

Anesthesia technicians are exposed to various infectious disease inside the clinical environment. Being in the vicinity of patients often leave technicians susceptible to airborne diseases such as Influenza and Coronavirus. Bloodborne disease also play significant role as hazards inside the work environment. Equipment, especially sharp objects, often graze or touch the technicians which can lead to infection of HIV or Hepatitis C. 25% of needlestick injuries occur inside operating rooms, with many reporting fatigue and high pressure environments.

American Society of Anesthesia Technologists & Technicians

American Society of Anesthesia Technologists & Technicians, acknowledges the scope of practice for the Anesthesia technical personnel. The commitment of ASATT is to ensure that efficient, safe, competent, and ethical practices are provided to society and maintaining professional standards of practice. ASATT acknowledges that the Anesthesia technical personnel are a part of the Anesthesia care team as listed in the practice guidelines of the American Society of Anesthesiologists. This position should not be confused with that of an anesthesiologist assistant who actively participates as a licensed anesthesia provider.