Anesthesia monitoring by registered nurses during cataract surgery: Assessment of need for intraoperative anesthesia consultation

Abstract

Purpose: To assess the frequency and risk factors for intraoperative anesthesia consultation when performing cataract surgery monitored by registered nurses. Setting: Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Iowa City, Iowa, USA. Methods: This retrospective review was of 270 cataract surgeries performed under local anesthesia from April 1, 2002, to April 1, 2003. Results: The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification of each patient was determined: 1 patient was classified as ASA 1. One hundred fifty patients were classified as ASA 2. One hundred nineteen patients were classified as ASA 3. The anesthesiology department was consulted 24 times. Nineteen consultations involved patients who were ASA 3, and 5 consultations involved patients who were ASA 2 (P