The pre-use machine check

anaesthetic machine checklist safety check ventilator Nov 02, 2026

Every list starts the same way. Someone glances at the anaesthesia machine, sees it switched on, and says it is checked and ready. But genuine readiness means a lot more than a powered-up screen and a quiet alarm panel.

A proper pre-use check actually happens in layers. There is the detailed check done by qualified technical staff after servicing or repair, the check performed at the start of each list, and then the quick but essential check done before every single patient. Each layer catches different things, and skipping straight to "it looked fine yesterday" leaves real gaps.

Here is what genuine readiness actually involves:

🟢 Oxygen failure alarms tested, audible and visible
🟢 Reserve oxygen cylinder checked, adequate, and left turned off
🟢 Gas supply line pressures visible and within normal range
🟢 Breathing system and vapourisers checked for leaks
🟢 Self-inflating bag immediately available as backup

For perianaesthesia nurses working alongside the anaesthetist before and during induction, this is where vigilance earns its keep. Being part of confirming the oxygen supply, watching for a missed step in the sequence, and acting as that calm second set of eyes while the anaesthetist focuses on the patient all genuinely matter. A rushed or assumed check is one of the most preventable contributors to serious anaesthetic incidents.

"Checked and ready" should never be a habit of language. It should be a habit of practice, repeated properly before every patient, every time.

Build Knowledge ✅

Improve Safety ✅

References:

Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (2026). PG31 Guideline on checking anaesthesia delivery systems (pilot).


Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland (2012). Checking Anaesthetic Equipment 2012. Anaesthesia, 67, 660-668.

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