Question

An intraoperative death has occurred; the anesthesia provider expresses concern that a faulty monitor may have contributed. What is the appropriate next step?

A) Troubleshoot the monitor to find and fix the problem.
B) Sequester and quarantine the monitor, pending referral to hospital risk management.
C) Call biomedical engineering to assess whether the next case in the room can safely be performed with that monitor.
D) Report the device failure to the FDA and return the monitor to the manufacturer.

Answer 1

The appropriate next step is to sequester and quarantine the monitor, pending referral to hospital risk management.

Step-by-step explanation:

The appropriate next step when an anesthesia provider expresses concern that a faulty monitor may have contributed to an intraoperative death is to sequester and quarantine the monitor, pending referral to hospital risk management.

This ensures that the monitor is no longer in use and prevents any potential harm from occurring to other patients. Calling biomedical engineering to assess the safety of using the monitor for the next case in the room is a good practice, but sequestering and quarantine should be done first to prioritize patient safety.