William Andrews

“If a simple precaution was taken in ensuring that the tip of a bulb syringe or similar was a different colour to the rest of the equipment then it is difficult to see how a surgeon could use a syringe with the tip still in place by error”

“The MHRA should recommend to manufacturers and the relevant Standards Committees that .... detachable caps (eg. On intravenous cannulae and giving sets) be manufactured in brightly coloured material, preferably red, to aid visibility”

“There is a further concern in respect of other information which is contained with the Trust's SUI report as follows; It is perhaps of some relevance that in 2001-2 a number of instances of items of anaesthetic airway equipment being blocked with extraneous pieces of plastic and causing harm to patients were the subject of a national police investigation (Operation Orcadian)”

“There appears to be no standard procedure for checking for syringe caps (where used) at the end of the operation, such as there is with swabs”