The safe administration of drugs is a key area in anaesthesia and intensive care. Ensuring patients receive the correct dose of the correct drug requires great care during the drawing up process (with any dilution required) and appropriate drug labelling. The anaesthetist must always remain vigilant for adverse drug reactions including anaphylaxis. Some of the drugs classes encountered maybe familiar to novices (such as opioids and some sedatives, antibiotics) but others will be less familiar (especially intravenous and volatile anaesthetic agents, both depolarising and non-depolarising neuromuscular blocking drugs, and nitrous oxide). Anaesthetists are often required to administer other drugs such as antibiotics, drugs affecting coagulation and drugs to assist imaging.

New areas are discussed, such as the transition away from nitrous oxide, desflurane and suxamethonium and the widespread use of sugammadex to reverse rocuronium, as well as the choice of total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) or volatile-based anaesthesia.