To the Editor

Regarding the use of the metaphor of the anesthesia provider as a pilot and the notion that takeoffs and landings are like induction and emergence:

In addition to the “. . . system formed by the patient, the anesthesiologist and/or the CRNA, and the surrounding environment of the operating room (including personnel and equipment) being more complex than that which characterizes commercial aviation . . .,” there is another glaring difference. The pilot is on board and suffers the same fate as his passengers as a consequence of his/her actions—not so with the anesthesia provider.

John Danner, CRNA
Sheboygan, Wisconsin