The presentation of ASA videotape No. 26 was prompted by the dramatically increased demand for hospital anesthesia services outside the OR suite. During this program, the complexity of problems associated with anesthesia in locations remote to the OR is addressed. Some practical solutions to challenges facing the anesthesiologist in areas such as the Cardiac Catheterization Lab, Radiology, and the MRI Suite are presented.

A scenario in which unanticipated problems develop during a diagnostic venogram underscores the responsibility of the anesthesiologist to ensure that unforeseen situations which arise in remote locations can be managed with the same high quality of care available in the OR. Particular attention is given to the MRI Suite which constitutes a hostile environment for much of the equipment and the monitoring devices that have become the standard for anesthesia care. Overall principles that guide assessment of off-side locations prior to the conduct of anesthesia are presented. Consultants for this program include Dr. William Clayton Petty, Dr. Charlotte Bell, Dr. Patricia A. Foster and Dr. Julian M. Goldman.

Dr. Ellison C. Pierce, Jr., Executive Producer of the ASA Patient Safety Videotape Series, announced that instead of the usual distribution by pharmaceutical reps, this current videotape will be mailed by Glaxo-Wellcome to all anesthesia departments in hospitals with more than 100 beds.