Anaesthetic Trolley Contents and Setup Checklist

Principles for anaesthesia trolley setup

A good setup follows the order of use: airway first, then intravenous access, drugs, monitoring and disposables. Keep the layout identical across all theatres so that staff moving between rooms never have to search. Label every drawer on the front and mark the top surface for items that must be in reach at induction.

Separate stock by risk. Emergency and difficult airway items should be in a defined, quickly accessible place; controlled and high-risk drugs should be locked, according to your hospital policy and local regulations.

Drawer-by-drawer anaesthetic trolley contents

The Lojer Anaesthetic trolley 650 has six smooth-running drawers, one of them lockable, which fits the following example layout. Treat it as a starting point and align it with your own protocols.

A written stock list fixed to the side of the trolley, with par levels for each drawer, makes restocking quick and consistent between shifts. Review the list every few months with the anaesthetists and technicians, remove items that are never used and add those that are repeatedly missing. Standardising the layout across theatres also makes cover from other rooms safer.

• Drawer 1 (top): laryngoscope handles and blades, airway adjuncts, tracheal tubes and stylets, tape, lubricant
• Drawer 2: face masks, supraglottic airways, bougie, syringes for cuffs
• Drawer 3: intravenous cannulas, giving sets, extension lines, three-way taps, dressings
• Drawer 4: syringes, needles, labels, filters, spare breathing circuit components
• Drawer 5: monitoring consumables such as ECG electrodes, temperature probes, nasogastric tubes
• Drawer 6 (lockable): drugs requiring secure storage, as defined by your hospital policy

Side rail and top surface

The trolley has a side rail that holds suction bottles, scopes, a blood pressure meter, catheters and similar equipment. Keep suction ready and tested at the head end, and place the blood pressure device where it can be reached without disturbing the airway equipment. The top surface should hold only what is needed for the immediate induction sequence, with sharps disposed of in a nearby container.

Difficult airway set contents

Difficult airway equipment should be stored together, clearly labelled and checked regularly. Typical items include alternative laryngoscope blades, a videolaryngoscope where available, bougie, supraglottic airways in several sizes, equipment for front-of-neck access and a means of confirming tube position. Follow your national or local difficult airway guidelines for the exact list. Many departments keep this set on a separate dedicated trolley, which should be reachable within seconds.

Daily checks and restocking

At the start of each list, check expiry dates, packaging integrity and quantities against a stock list. Test the suction and the laryngoscope lights, and confirm that castors move and the brakes lock; this trolley has Ø 125 mm antistatic castors, two with brakes. Replace single-use items after each case, and keep the lockable drawer log up to date.

The trolley is stainless steel with dimensions of 540 × 785 × 850 mm and a safe working load of 100 kg, so check the weight of items on top of the trolley. See the anaesthesia trolley guide and the trolley 650 page for more detail on the product.

Cleaning and next steps

Wipe the trolley between cases and fully clean it at the end of each day, following the manufacturer's instructions and your infection control team's advice. Empty drawers periodically so debris does not accumulate. Beckfinity's team can help you specify trolleys for your theatres; request a quote or consultation, or see the anaesthesia trolley price guide for cost factors.