Safety and quality update: June 2023

20 June 2023

New this month: Alert update on periprocedural diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) with SGLT2 inhibitor use in people with diabetes; neuraxial equipment changeover guidelines on website; and reporting regurgitations and aspiration events using webAIRS.

ADS, ANZCA, and ADEA issue diabetes alert update

The Australian Diabetes Society (ADS), ANZCA and the Australian Diabetes Educators Association (ADEA) have released an update to the Periprocedural diabetic ketoacidosis with SGLT2 inhibitor use in people with diabetes alert. The revised alert provides updated recommendations and guidance for healthcare professionals regarding careful assessment, monitoring and appropriate management of individuals using SGLT2 inhibitors before, during, and after medical procedures. 

Neuraxial equipment changeover 

The ANZCA Library has recently made available a range of resources concerning the latest guidelines on the NRFit neuraxial equipment changeover. The collection includes comprehensive materials and information aimed at assisting healthcare professionals in understanding and implementing the recommended protocols for safe and efficient equipment transitions during neuraxial procedures. 

Reporting regurgitation and aspiration events in webAIRS

The ANZCA professional document PG07(A) Guideline on pre-anaesthesia consultation and patient preparation is being reviewed, including the fasting appendix, with particular reference to pre-operative fluid fasting.

WebAIRS is keen to support this review to assist in establishing the safety of any change to the current guideline.

We are encouraging all anaesthetists in Australia and New Zealand to report all regurgitation with and without aspiration events in webAIRS. These subcategories can be found under the main category of Respiratory/Airway.

If you would like to report anaesthesia near misses and/or other adverse events, or need further information please contact anztadc@anzca.edu.au


Last updated 11:24 11.09.2023