Author: Michael E. Harned, MD, FASA ASA Monitor August 2022, Vol. 86, 29. The opioid crisis continues to spiral. Today, Americans are more likely to die from an accidental opioid overdose (1 in 96 odds) than a car crash (1 in 103 odds) (asamonitor.pub/3xncIyB). Crafting solutions calibrated to truly meet the severity of the crisis isn’t […]
Read MoreASA Monitor August 2022, Vol. 86, 16. A patient presents to the emergency department with newly diagnosed type A aortic dissection. You prepare to take the patient to the OR emergently. The patient is hypertensive in the emergency department with a blood pressure of 180/90 mm Hg and a heart rate of 90 beats/min. Which of […]
Read MoreASA Monitor August 2022, Vol. 86, 27–28. Media coverage of ASA’s fight against 0% increase in Medicare payment continues In March, Becker’s ASC Review covered ASA’s urging Congress not to accept the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission Recommendation of no (0%) annual payment update for physician payments in 2023 and quoted ASA President Randall M. Clark, MD, […]
Read MoreAuthors: Richard Simoneaux; Steven L. Shafer, MD, FASA ASA Monitor August 2022, Vol. 86, 1–4. Immunocompromised patients are at increased risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19 compared to immunocompetent patients (Infect Dis Clin North Am 2022;36:397-421). A decade or so ago, it was common to think of immunosuppression as an uncommon condition, applying to […]
Read MoreAuthor: Brooke Trainer, MD, FASA ASA Monitor August 2022, Vol. 86, 39–40. Communicating in Specific Contexts is the third of a four-part series that provides more information about ASA’s Enhancing Patient Communications Program. Although most physicians feel confident that they treat patients equally, preconceived notions bias our interactions, and we may not even be aware of them. […]
Read MoreASA Monitor August 2022, Vol. 86, 10–11. This month’s AIRS case reports are presented in a format that we have borrowed from NASA’s CALLBACK, which discusses events that have been entered into the Aviation Safety Reporting System. We will let you “interact” with the information given in two events that have been reported to AIRS. In […]
Read MoreAuthors: Uday Jain, BSEE, MD, PhD, FASA; Lalitha Sundararaman, MBBS, MD ASA Monitor August 2022, Vol. 86, 25. The current Omicron BA.2 surge has increased the likelihood that infected patients will undergo surgery. A study from March through August 2020 found that the 30-day risk of pulmonary complications, sepsis, and ischemic stroke was increased among patients positive […]
Read MoreAuthors: Uday Jain, BSEE, MD, PhD, FASA ASA Monitor August 2022, Vol. 86, 24. Toxic plumes, the contents of which include viruses, aerosols, and volatile organic compounds, are produced by vaporization of tissue by electrocautery or laser surgery (Dermatol 2021;62:37-40). Inhalation carries infectious, respiratory, and cardiovascular risks. Surgical masks provide some protection, but N95 respirators are […]
Read MoreAuthors: Barry Swerdlow, MD, FASA; Harriet W. Hopf, MD, FUHM, FASA ASA Monitor August 2022, Vol. 86, 23. Anesthesiologists and patients are at risk for cross-contamination and cross-infection during routine clinical care (Clinical Anesthesia. 2017; Anesth Analg 2020;131:37-42; Curr Anesthesiol Rep 2020;10:233-41; J Anesth 2020;34:575-84). The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic emphasized the risk of such perioperative transmission (Anesth Analg 2020;131:37-42; Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth […]
Read MoreAuthor: Barbara M. Rogers, MD, MBOE, FASA ASA Monitor August 2022, Vol. 86, 26. The COVID-19 pandemic has made health care workers and average citizens acutely aware of the transmissibility of deadly viruses. But have we gone beyond washing our hands before and after each patient encounter, a recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and […]
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