LAUSR

quitting smoking to the guideline itself; however, anesthesiologists responsible for managing the perioperative safety of patients should be aware of these and make efforts to encourage patients to stop smoking before surgery. I must confess that I myself smoked when I was young. People who have previously been smokers but have now quit are troubled by the smell of cigarette smoke around them. This guideline also refers to the effects of passive smoking. I have recently come to enjoy smoking cigars when drinking alcohol. Cigars are something to be savored in the mouth, but do they also affect perioperative complications? The next guideline to be introduced concerns the prevention of medication errors [2]. Unlike internists, we anesthesiologists handle only a very limited range of drug classes, but most are poisons or powerful pharmacotherapeutic agents, and incorrect administration may result in serious complications. Human error is frequently involved, and simply saying ‘Just be more careful next time’ is probably not a fit response in terms of contemporary risk management. This guideline emphasizes recommendations for drug syringe labels in particular. Detailed stipulations for these labels are provided, specifying that they should (1) be an appropriate size, (2) be resistant to peeling off, (3) be resistant to fading, (4) provide the appropriate content, and (5) be printed in black lettering in an easily legible font. Interestingly, the guideline also stipulates the background color, with a clear explanation of the drugs and antagonists used. I am also in favor of this, but if these matters are decided at the level of individual institutions, then the possibility of mistaken administration will remain, similar to the difficulties that would be faced if the color of traffic lights were to vary between prefectures or countries. However, if a mistake has already been made at the drug preparation stage, the color of the label may be meaningless. To prevent this from happening, use of prefilled or colored