A. The board may license qualified persons as anesthesiologist assistants.

B. A person shall not perform, attempt to perform or hold himself out as an anesthesiologist assistant until he is licensed by the board as an anesthesiologist assistant and has registered his supervising licensed anesthesiologist in accordance with board regulations.

C. An anesthesiologist assistant may assist the supervising anesthesiologist in developing and implementing an anesthesia care plan for a patient. In providing assistance to the supervising anesthesiologist, an anesthesiologist assistant may do any of the following:

(1) obtain a comprehensive patient history and perform a physical exam and present the history and exam findings to the supervising anesthesiologist who must conduct a pre-anesthetic interview and evaluation;

(2) pretest and calibrate anesthesia delivery systems;

(3) monitor, obtain and interpret information from anesthesia delivery systems and anesthesia monitoring equipment;

(4) assist the supervising anesthesiologist with the implementation of medically accepted monitoring techniques;

(5) establish basic and advanced airway interventions, including intubation of the trachea and performing ventilatory support;

(6) administer intermittent vasoactive drugs;

(7) start and adjust vasoactive infusions;

(8) administer anesthetic drugs, adjuvant drugs and accessory drugs;

(9) assist the supervising anesthesiologist with the performance of epidural anesthetic procedures and spinal anesthetic procedures;

(10) administer blood, blood products and supportive fluids;

(11) participate in administrative activities and clinical teaching activities;

(12) participate in research activities by performing the same procedures that may be performed under Paragraphs (1) through (10) of this subsection; and

(13) provide assistance to cardiopulmonary resuscitation teams in response to life-threatening situations.

D. An applicant shall complete an application form provided by the board and shall submit the completed form with the application fee to the board.

History: Laws 2001, ch. 311, § 3; 2003, ch. 302, § 2.

The 2003 amendment, effective June 20, 2003, in Paragraph C(1) inserted "and perform a physical exam" following "comprehensive patient history" and inserted "and exam findings" following "present the history".