Although there are guidelines for the management of anaesthesia, there is room for improvement in practice, especially for the prevention of respiratory complications in children. A study in Perth, Australia (Britta S von Ungern-Sternberg and colleagues. Lancet 2010;376:773–83; see also Comment, ibid: 745–6) has pointed the way to better practice.

The study included all 10 496 children who underwent general anaesthesia for any reason at the Princess Margaret Hospital for Children in Perth between 1 February 2007 and 31 …