Patient monitoring in the operating theatre. A comparison of practice between 1976 and 1983.

The vital importance of patient monitoring during anaesthesia is well recognised. There is little information available, however, on the actual practice of instrumental monitoring in the operating theatre. This study examined present-day practice and compared it with that of 1976. The main findings were an increase in frequency of electrocardiographic monitoring, especially for non-major surgery, and a smaller increase in blood pressure recording. Monitoring of other variables remained essentially unchanged. Possible reasons for this are given and suggestions made for improvements.