Somnia Anesthesia blog Surgical care remains one of the most significant drivers of overall hospital cost—yet the medical readiness of complex surgical patients is often overlooked in financial and operational planning. While the cost-effectiveness of any surgery requires consideration of both short- and long-term improvements in patient outcomes and quality of life, the episode-of-care cost […]
Read MoreAuthor: Richard Novak, MD THE ANESTHESIA CONSULTANT Intraoperative bradycardia (heart rate less than 60 beats per minute) is a common but sometimes dire occurrence in anesthesia care when mismanaged. In study published in 1990, bradycardia occurred in 18.9% of 17,201 patients having general anesthesia with volatile drugs. Bradyarrhythmias usually occur from combinations of: primary cardiac disease (ischemic […]
Read MoreAuthor: Patsy Newitt Becker’s ASC Review Private equity’s consolidation of anesthesiology has been documented in federal courtrooms, academic studies and state attorney general investigations. Here’s a breakdown of where that consolidation stands market by market, which ASCs are now effectively captive to a single dominant group and which independent practices are still holding out and why. […]
Read MoreAuthor: Flora Liu, MD IARS 2026 Annual Meeting coverage Anesthesiologists routinely produce and reverse unconsciousness, yet the brain mechanisms responsible for losing and regaining consciousness remain incompletely understood. At the 2026 IARS and SOCCA Annual Meeting, investigators discussed how anesthetics alter brain networks, how consciousness may fluctuate despite stable drug concentrations, and how these findings […]
Read MoreAuthor: Francesca Mathewes Becker’s ASC Review Many anesthesia departments and ASCs facing staffing shortages have turned toward cheaper labor as a solution. Jarrett Heard, MD, associate professor of clinical anesthesiology and medical director of perioperative services at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, thinks that framing misses the actual lever available to the specialty. “I really […]
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