The world's health organisations are mobilising to fill a critical gap in surgical safety

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Extract from the article: In a major initiative to improve the safety of millions of people undergoing surgery each year, the world's largest cleft lip and palate organisation, Smile Train, and Lifebox, a global not-for-profit organisation specialising in safer surgery, have

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In a major initiative to improve the safety of millions of people undergoing surgery each year, the world's largest cleft lip and palate organisation, Smile Train, and Lifebox, a global not-for-profit organisation specialising in safer surgery, have come together to urge healthcare systems and equipment standards guidelines, including those set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) globally, to include a capnograph as essential equipment for monitoring safer surgery anaesthesia.

Demonstrating their commitment to bridging the global capnography gap, Smile Train and Lifebox announced this week that they will donate additional capnographers worth more than $300,000 to their partner hospitals around the world. This is a total commitment Smile Train to deliver more than $600,000, without counting investment leadership to do the project.

« Through our partnership with Lifebox, we have seen first-hand the life-saving impact of capnography in the surgical setting," said Susannah Schaefer, President and CEO of Smile Train. "We believe that the inclusion of a capnograph by professional societies and national health authorities as essential anaesthesia monitoring equipment in operating theatres will catalyse its adoption worldwide, saving countless lives. »

A capnograph is the best tool for detecting one of the main causes of anaesthesia, complications and death in low-resource settings: incorrect placement of the breathing tube to supply oxygen to the patient.Without oxygen, the patient will suffer a catastrophic situation within minutes, including brain damage and death. The risk of misplacing the breathing tube is greater in children.

This essential tool has been a staple in operating theatres in high-income countries for more than three decades. Its introduction in the United States in 1991 led to a dramatic decline in anaesthesia-related complications and deaths. Yet capnography remains largely unavailable in most low-resource operating theatres, with research showing that there is often a 100% gap between the need for capnography and its availability in low-income countries.

« Working without capnography has been very worrying.It's like navigating a dark road without a torch.You know the dangers are there, but you're unable to see them until it's perhaps too late », said Dr Elizabeth Igaga, Director of Programme Safety at Smile Train. « The absence of such an essential tool not only increases the risk to our patients, but puts enormous pressure on healthcare providers to anticipate, identify and manage complications without delay.Including it in the essential guidelines for operating theatre equipment revolutionises our approach to patient safety, enabling us to detect and intervene in complications before they become life-threatening »

Smile Train-Lifebox capnographThe absence of capnography in most low-resource settings has been attributed to its high cost and the scarcity of equipment tailored to specific local needs.

In response to this critical gap, Smile Train and Lifebox have launched their Smile Train-Lifebox capnograph, a high-quality, user-friendly and affordable capnograph with a robust construction and long battery life suitable for use in low-resource environments.In collaboration with the World Federation of Anaesthesiologists (WFSA), the Global Capnography Project (GCAP) and other anaesthesia industry leaders, the initiative has also developed a comprehensive capnography training programme for anaesthesia providers. This year, 350 Smile Train-Lifebox capnographs will be distributed in Benin, Ethiopia, the Philippines and Uganda.

« Capnography shouldn't be a privilege. It should be the standard for surgical patient safety everywhere, and it's needed now », said Kris Torgeson, CEO of Lifebox Global. Inclusion, for example in operating room checklists, as an essential piece of equipment, A monumental step in making surgery safer for all patients, regardless of where they live. The collaboration marks a pivotal moment in the global effort to improve anaesthesia care, ensuring that no patient is left behind due to a lack of access to essential healthcare.The announcement was made at the 18th World Congress of Anaesthesiologists, held in Singapore from 3 to 7 March 2024, marking a critical moment in global health stakeholders' efforts to improve patient safety during surgery.

Source : Smile Train