Availability of anesthesia equipment in Chinese hospitals: is the safety of anesthesia patient care assured?

Availability of physiologic monitoring equipment to ensure the safe administration of anesthesia is an expected standard in many parts of the world. Many hospitals in China may not have an adequate quantity and variety of anesthesia delivery and patient monitoring equipment to assure safe administration of anesthesia patient care. We present some typical cases of hospitals of different sizes and located in regions with different economic levels; our data demonstrate that there is a lack of available anesthesia administration and patient monitoring equipment in small hospitals and hospitals in economically underdeveloped regions.