By Steven Greenberg, MD, FCCP et al Nationwide drug shortages affect anesthesia professionals every day.1 In 2012, a survey generated by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), and accessible on the ASA website, suggested that 97.6% of anesthesiologists experienced a drug shortage in their practices. There have been several documented reasons for drug shortages, which include […]
Read MoreBy Mark J. Rice, MD, and Douglas B. Coursin, MD Anesthesia care providers rely heavily on monitors and diagnostic devices for the safe passage of our patients. We believe that the technology we use in our practice has not only been thoroughly vetted by monitor and device manufacturers and the FDA, but also by academic […]
Read MoreThis is for our providers who treat back pain. Opioids, when combined with naproxen, are not more effective than naproxen alone for the majority of patients with acute, nontraumatic, nonradicular low back pain. Pain, functional impairment, and use of healthcare resources were similar among treatment groups at 7 days or 3 months, and almost two-thirds […]
Read MoreBy Charles E. Cowles, MD, MBA et al As medical technology advances, so does the complexity of the environment for anesthesia care. Many specialty care centers are utilizing hybrid combinations of MRI, radiation, and lasers in operating suites and other patient care areas. Some of these new treatment and diagnostic modalities pose hazards to the […]
Read MoreBy Rachel M. Kacmar, MD, and Jill M. Mhyre, MD On behalf of the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology (SOAP) Patient Safety Committee Patient transfer to the operating room for emergency cesarean delivery is a high risk epoch for serious medication error or venous access complication, based on a series of patient safety […]
Read MoreAlthough patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) who present for surgery are often instructed to stop certain medications preoperatively, a study from New York University Langone Medical Center has concluded that such cessation may be largely unnecessary. The researchers found that five common agents—angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers, diuretics, statins, insulin and calcium channel […]
Read MoreAuthors: Naveed Siddiqui MD et al Anesthesiology 11 2015, Vol.123, 1033-1041. Background: Misidentification of the cricothyroid membrane in a “cannot intubate-cannot oxygenate” situation can lead to failures and serious complications. The authors hypothesized that preprocedure ultrasound-guided identification of the cricothyroid membrane would reduce complications associated with cricothyrotomy. Methods: A group of 47 trainees were randomized to digital palpation […]
Read MoreAuthors: Maxim A. Terekhov et al Anesthesiology 11 2015, Vol.123, 1059-1066. doi:10.1097/ALN.0000000000000858 Background: Estimating surgical risk is critical for perioperative decision making and risk stratification. Current risk-adjustment measures do not integrate dynamic clinical parameters along with baseline patient characteristics, which may allow a more accurate prediction of surgical risk. The goal of this study was to determine […]
Read MoreThe American Heart Association has updated its comprehensive guidelines on cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care. The update appears in Circulation. Among the more salient points for healthcare providers: The recommended chest compression depth is 2 to 2.4 inches at a rate of 100 to 120 per minute. To reduce the time to first compression, providers […]
Read MoreLatent class analysis and ASA physical status yield differing results Although perioperative risk stratification is often used to identify so-called independent risk factors, previous research has found that few are truly independent, and various combinations of comorbidities may have differential effects on mortality risk. Researchers turned to “latent class analysis,” a model-based clustering technique, and […]
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