
New machine could one day replace anesthesiologists - eplanit
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/new-machine-could-one-day-replace-anesthesiologists/2015/05/11/92e8a42c-f424-11e4-b2f3-af5479e6bbdd_story.html
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anon4this1
anaesthesiologist here..

agree that this machine is probably safe for giving sedation. colonoscopies
inhabit a grey area where you can do them with benzodiazepine sedation but
they are better with propofol, the only issue being with propofol is you have
to be on the ball to titrate the infusion as things progress. A machine is
quite capable of doing this.

for surgery requiring full general anaesthesia you do need someone immediately
on hand (doctor or nurse-anaesthetist) who is an airway specialist because if
you lose your airway you generally don't have long to re-establish it before
the patient dies.

