Imagine that you are called urgently to see the patient shown in Fig 1.

Analysis of critical incidents has demonstrated that key information is not always forthcoming. For example:

• The nurse is on a break/agency staff/just covering
• The notes have been lost/are several volumes thick
• The trainee on call is not an anaesthetist and didn’t appreciate the implications of the airway problems

What information do you want to know immediately?

How can we find out that information?