ABSTRACT
This chapter targets a recurrent procedure of vascular surgery. In 115 video-recorded instances, a team of vascular surgeons, anesthesiologists, radiologists, and nurses jointly perform digital subtraction angiographies. In preparation for the angiography, the surgeon regularly requests that the nurse anesthetist put the anesthetized patient's breathing on hold so as to temporarily induce apnea. Whenever this is done, breathing must be promptly resumed to secure the patient's health and safety. The first part of the results outlines the routine grounds in the coordinative practice of controlling a patient's breathing. The remaining sections address instances where complications arise. In certain cases, the resumption of breathing is delayed because of communication issues. Our analysis explicates episodes in which requests to resume the patient's breathing are treated as officially absent. A key finding is how anticipated but absent requests are addressed and handled by the staff members. The absence of a projected action, stalling, or interfering with the expected progression may jeopardize patient safety and, thus, is not only treated as noticeably absent but may also become professionally accountable.
