Intraoperative Mains Oxygen Supply Failure - Guidelines for Crises in Anaesthesia



Complete failure of wall or pendant oxygen supply. Failure may be theatre-specific, zone-specific or hospital-wide



❶ Inform the theatre team of the problem, including theatre coordinator (Box A).

❷ Call for help, but be aware failure may be widespread.

❸ Switch to cylinder oxygen supply.

❹ Check remaining cylinder content (Box B):

  • Ensure at least one further cylinder always available.

❺ Prolong duration of cylinder oxygen supply:

  • Use circle system.

  • Use lowest possible fresh gas flow.

  • Use lowest possible FiO2.

  • Check FiO2 alarms.

❻ Minimise auxiliary gas usage:

  • Some ventilator systems are gas-driven. If so, switching to manual ventilation will prolong oxygen cylinder supply.

❼ Evaluate moving to nearby area if oxygen supply there preserved.

❽ Continue to monitor and ensure adequacy of inspired oxygen and volatile agent.

❾ Workflow:

  • Do not start any new case unless clinical priority absolutely requires it.

  • Expedite conclusion of current case if clinically appropriate.

  • Consider recovering the patient in theatre if recovery also affected (Box C).

❿ Disconnect from failed outlets and do not re-connect until safe to do so (Box D).



By Association of Anaesthetists @ https://twitter.com/AAGBI

Quick Reference Handbook - Guidelines for crises in anaesthesia 



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