Some details of the surgery are appropriate to be mentioned in the anaesthetic handover. These include the procedure itself, an estimate of blood loss, the location and number of any surgical drains and any post-operative surgical instructions (for example, fasting, antibiotics, heparin). Any surgical or anaesthetic complications should also be mentioned at this time.

Sometimes the operation performed is not the one which was planned beforehand. This information needs to be handed over to the recovery staff and will be subsequently passed on to the ward staff who will care for the patient post-operatively.