Will the consciousness monitor ever become a must-have machine? While approxi-mately 60 percent of hospital ORs nationwide are equipped for consciousness monitoring, the technology is used for only about 17 percent of procedures requiring general anesthesia or deep sedation, according to a leading manufacturer of the devices. This seeming disconnect is likely related to the American Society of Anesthesiologists' decision not to consider the technology a standard of care at present. But given the process's ability to offer anesthesia providers an important additional view on their patients' conditions, every facility should at least open a discussion on the devices. Here's some background information on what's currently available.