This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages without signing in

Clinical monitoring

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Clinical monitoring of the depth of anaesthesia relies on the presence of autonomic reflexes:

  • ophthalmic:
    • pupil size, reducing with increasing depth, but may dilate in very deep anaesthesia
    • opioids and anticholinergics alter pupil size by a central action and so make this index less valid
  • cardiovascular:
    • the trend in heart rate and arterial blood pressure is followed
    • it may be modified by drugs, haemorrhage and body fluid abnormalities
  • respiratory:
    • the trend in rate, depth and rhythmicity of breathing
    • effect of ventilation
    • hiccuping or bronchospasm may indicate light anaesthesia
  • skin:
    • sweating can be a sign of light anaesthesia; reduced by anticholinergic agents
    • colour; good perfusion indicated by pink hue
    • capillary refill time; an indirect index of tissue perfusion
    • temperature; particularly important in infants

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.