Episode #322 Designing Safer Anesthesia
September 2, 2026
Welcome to the next installment of the Anesthesia Patient Safety podcast hosted by Alli Bechtel. This podcast will be an exciting journey towards improved anesthesia patient safety.
Thank you so much to Dr. Lahiru Amaratunge for joining us on the show today. The theme for our show is designing safer anesthesia.
Here are some of the topics that we covered:
- How human-factors principles can help us design errors out of anesthesia practice
- Why standardization and system design may be more effective than relying on education alone
- Using in-situ simulation to uncover hidden safety risks
- The “Three S’s” of simulation feedback: space, stuff, and staff
- Creating a culture where everyone feels empowered to speak up
- How closed-loop communication and thinking out loud can improve crisis management
- The benefits—and distractions—of smartphones and digital learning
- How checklists can support clinicians managing rare and complex cases
- The potential of AI-powered tools for anesthesia education and patient safety
- How the ABCs of Anesthesia grew from a simple teaching video into a broader educational platform
We hope that you will check out the ABCs of Anesthesia on YouTube and the Anaesthesia Collective:
Here is the APSF article about tranexamic acid from November 2025, “Preventing Wrong Drug-Wrong Route Errors Involving Tranexamic Acid and Local Anesthetics.” We hope that you will check it out.
This episode was edited and produced by Mike Chan.
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Additional sound effects from: Zapsplat.
© 2026, The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation
Opening Clip: [Lahiru clip]
This is the Anesthesia Patient Safety Podcast and I’m your host, Alli Bechtel.
We’ve got a great show for you today. Dr. Lahiru Amaratunge joins me from Melbourne Australia to talk about education, innovation, and anesthesia patient safety. We also learn more about how he started the very popular ABCs of Anesthesia YouTube Channel and more. Lahiru is a consultant anaesthetist practicing in Melbourne, Australia with a special interest in anesthesia for vascular, thoracic, orthopaedics, obstetrics, general, ophthalmology, and ENT surgery, but after talking with him and exploring his YouTube Channel, it is clear that his passion lies in education. He is the founder and creator of the Anaestheis Collective and ABCs of Anaesthesia which include educational resources like podcasts, videos, online courses, and more. Plus, all of the projects’ income is donated to charity as you will hear about today. Okay, enough of me just talking…let’s get to the interview.
Before we dive further into the episode today, we’d like to recognize GE Healthcare, a major corporate supporter of APSF. GE Healthcare has generously provided unrestricted support to further our vision that “no one shall be harmed by anesthesia care”. Thank you, GE Healthcare, – we wouldn’t be able to do all that we do without you!”
And now, my conversation with Dr. Lahiru Amaratunge.
[Interview Show]
OUTRO:
There is still more from my conversation with Dr. Lahiru Amaratunge and we hope you will join us next week for the exciting conclusion. In the meantime, head over to YouTube and check out the ABCs of Anesthesia. I really enjoyed watching the video on peripheral IV placement, Important tips and tricks for IV cannulation!. If you are an anesthesia trainee, this is like a personal teaching session to help you learn more about this vital skill. From there, I recommend the videos How to draw up tricky anaesthesia medications! And Tips for setting up a fluid line! These are common tasks in anesthesia that you can’t learn from the text book and Lahiru provides the instructions in a clear, calm, and concise manner.
If you have any questions or comments from today’s show, please email us at [email protected]. Please keep in mind that the information in this show is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical or legal advice. We hope that you will visit APSF.org for detailed information and check out the show notes for links to all the topics we discussed today.
Thanks for listening. We’ll see you next week!
Until next time, stay vigilant and stay informed so that no one shall be harmed by anesthesia care.
© 2026, The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation
