Ananesthetic technician is ahealthcare professional who performs a patient care role predominantly with the administration and monitoring of anesthesia and has an extensive knowledge of anesthesia techniques, instruments, supplies and technology.

Anesthetic technicians are mainly employed byanesthetic departments oroperating theatre suites, but can be found in other areas of clinical practice includingemergency departments,intensive care units (ICU) andday surgery clinics.^{[citation needed]}

Anesthetic technicians are involved with all aspects of the delivery of a patient's perioperative anesthetic care,^[1] taking into account the patients' religious and cultural beliefs and respecting their right tomedical privacy and dignity at all times. Anesthetic Technicians’ also provide a key role in the emergency resuscitation of patients.^{[citation needed]}

Anesthetic technicians prepare equipment needed for the patient to safely undergoanesthesia. This involves:^{[citation needed]}

• checking and setting up theanesthetic machine
• preparingintravenous drugs
• preparingintravenous therapy administration equipment
• preparing a range of devices to maintain the patient's airway (e.g.laryngeal masks, endotracheal tube)
• communicating with the patient when they arrive into the operating theatre
• establish peripheral intravenous access.
• applyinganesthetic monitoring to help assess the patients' condition whilst underanesthesia. This may includeelectrocardiography (ECG),blood pressure andoxygen saturation devices. The monitoring of other parameters such as anesthesia depth monitors (EEG,bispectral index etc.) may also be necessary.

The anesthetic technicians role includes assisting with:^{[citation needed]}

• inducing and maintaining adequate anesthesia.
• establishing and securing an airway.
• making sure that patients are positioned in such a way not to cause discomfort or injury during their procedure.
• monitoring and maintaining patients'vital signs and anesthesia depth.
• temperature monitoring and regulation.
• collection and analysis of patient (blood) samples.
• acquiring and administering transfusion fluids and equipment.

Anesthetic technicians assist theanesthetic with:^{[citation needed]}

• waking the patient.by administration of reversal agent to access spontaneous recovery
• removing airway devices.
• transferring patients to post-operative care units

Regional variations exist, but anesthetic technicians may also be involved with:^{[citation needed]}

• Airway establishment & management.
• Intra-operative intra-aortic balloon pump setup, operating and monitoring.
• Elective & Emergency Blood Management.
• Swan-Ganz pulmonary artery catheter insertion and monitoring.
• Intra-operative blood salvage setup, operating and monitoring.
• Drawing of blood Samples.
• Arterial blood gas analysis, including maintenance of analysers.
• Arterial line insertion and monitoring.
• Peripheral IV line insertion.
• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
• Central IV lines.
• TEG Sampling.
• Point of Care Analysis.

American Society of Anesthesia Technologists & Technicians (ASATT), acknowledges the scope of practice for the Anesthesia technical personnel. The commitment of ASATT is to ensure that efficient, safe, competent, and ethical practices are provided to society and maintaining professional standards of practice. ASATT acknowledges that the Anesthesia technical personnel are a part of the Anesthesia care team as listed in the practice guidelines of theAmerican Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA).^[2] This position should not be confused with that of ananesthesiologist assistant who actively participates as a licensed anesthesia provider.

• City College (Florida)[1]
• Grossmont College[2]
• Milwaukee Area Technical College[3]
• North Seattle Community College - Online[4]
• Renton Technical College[5]
• Sanford-Brown Institute - Houston[6]
• Sanford-Brown Institute - Iselin[7]
• Sanford-Brown Institute - Pittsburgh[8]
• Sanford-Brown College - St. Peters[9]
• Skyline College[10]
• Stony Brook University[11]
• Tarrant County College[12]

• Clinical officer anesthetists
• Physician assistant
• Anesthesiologist assistant
• Operating Department Practitioner

• Allied health professions
• Anesthesia

• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from November 2023
• Articles with unsourced statements from February 2022