The Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) has announced that the focus of the seventh National Audit Project (NAP7) will be perioperative cardiac arrest.
The topic has been selected by a panel of representatives from the RCoA, the National Institute of Academic Anaesthesia and the Health Services Research Centre (HSRC), as well as trainee and lay representatives.
Managed by the HSRC, on behalf of the RCoA, the project will recruit local co-ordinators across NHS hospitals to oversee the collection of data relating to cases of perioperative cardiac arrest over the period of 1 year. The data gathered will be used to form recommendations to improve patient care and outcomes.
The College is encouraging independent hospitals to participate. Professor Ravi Mahajan, RCoA President, said: “While the National Audit Projects have to date received collaboration from every single NHS hospital in the United Kingdom, my hope is that more independent hospitals and their anaesthetic teams will engage with this project. We owe it to patients to ensure we and our colleagues are skilled and knowledgeable enough to provide them with the best care possible.”
Dr Jasmeet Soar has been appointed clinical lead for NAP7. Dr Soar is a consultant in anaesthesia and intensive care medicine at Southmead Hospital Bristol and is chair of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation Advanced Life Support ALS Task Force and the European Resuscitation Council ALS Science Committee. He is a past chair of the Resuscitation Council (UK).
