Clinical Checklists
Equipment
Based on ASA 2008 guidelines for pre-anesthesia checkout procedures.
Progress0 / 15 (0%)
Verify backup ventilation availableCritical
Self-inflating (Ambu) bag accessible and functional
Check O₂ cylinder supply and pipeline pressure
Cylinder pressure adequate; pipeline pressure 50-55 psi
Check initial status of low-pressure system
Vaporizers off, flow control valves off, fill levels adequate
Perform leak check of machine low-pressure systemCritical
Use manufacturer-recommended method; confirm no leaks
Turn on machine master switch and all flow control valves
Test flow of each gas individually
Verify O₂, Air, and N₂O flow correctly
- Oxygen flow
- Air flow
- Nitrous oxide flow
Set O₂ and other gas flows to minimum
Test hypoxic guard / proportioning systemCritical
Attempt to set hypoxic mixture; verify system prevents it
Test breathing circuit
Connect circuit, perform leak test, verify gas flow
- Connect breathing circuit to machine
- Perform circuit leak test
- Verify adequate gas flow through circuit
Calibrate O₂ monitor and check low O₂ alarmCritical
Check initial status of breathing system
CO₂ absorber color/condition, circuit integrity
- CO₂ absorber adequate
- Circuit intact with no leaks
Set all gas flows to zero
Check, calibrate, set alarm limits for all monitors
SpO₂, ETCO₂, BP, ECG, temperature, agent analyzer
- SpO₂ calibrated and alarm set
- ETCO₂ calibrated and alarm set
- NIBP cycling and alarm set
- ECG leads and alarm set
- Temperature probe available
- Agent analyzer calibrated
Check suction
Adequate suction with Yankauer attached and functional
Check availability of drugs, syringes, labels, airways, ETTCritical
All induction/maintenance drugs drawn; airway equipment ready
- Induction agents drawn and labeled
- Syringes and labels available
- Oral/nasal airways available
- Endotracheal tubes (appropriate sizes)
References
ASA. Recommendations for Pre-Anesthesia Checkout Procedures (2008)
FDA. Anesthesia Apparatus Checkout Recommendations