Author: Claire Wallace Becker’s ASC Review Anesthesiologist Ellis Richard Clark, MD, has filed a lawsuit against Optum-affiliated Salem (Ore.) Surgery Center, which operates under the name Northbank Surgical Center, for allegedly firing him in retaliation for complaining about unsafe anesthesia practices, according to an April 23 report from the Lund Report. Dr. Clark claims that he […]
Read MoreAuthor: Paige Twenter Becker’s Hospital Review The internal backup battery in Draeger’s Perseus A500 anesthesia machines might unexpectedly fail, the FDA said April 25. In March, Draeger told customers of the 3,713 machines to test the device’s batteries and return any products with malfunctioning batteries. Four incidents, zero injuries and zero deaths have been reported, according to […]
Read MoreAuthors: Mark I. Zakowski, M.D. et al Anesthesiology April 2024. To the Editor: The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA; Schaumburg, Illinois) House of Delegates recently approved the “Statement on Pain during Cesarean Delivery” from the Committee on Obstetric Anesthesia advising all practitioners on the pervasive problem of failure to achieve pain-free cesarean delivery. Parturients experience […]
Read MoreAuthors: Xiang Li, M.D. et al Anesthesiology May 2024, Vol. 140, 1052–1053. In Reply: We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Dr. González, Dr. Maldonado, and Dr. Cornejo for their invaluable feedback, and to Dr. Edmark and Dr. Östberg for their perceptive remarks on our study about individualized positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) in managing postoperative atelectasis in obese […]
Read MoreAuthors: Lennart Edmark, Ph.D.; Erland Östberg, Ph.D. Anesthesiology May 2024, Vol. 140, 1051–1052. To the Editor: We read with expectations the study “Individualized Positive End-expiratory Pressure on Postoperative Atelectasis in Patients with Obesity: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial,” by Li et al. We congratulate the authors for succeeding in completing this interesting study despite the COVID-19 pandemic. […]
Read MoreAuthors: Roberto González, M.D. et al Anesthesiology May 2024, Vol. 140, 1050–1051. To the Editor: We read with great interest the article published by Li et al., which addresses a topic still under discussion in the literature: the individualization of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) in mechanically ventilated patients during surgery. In this study, the authors compared […]
Read MoreAuthors: Victor M. Neira, M.D., M.A.Ed. et al Anesthesiology May 2024, Vol. 140, 1047–1049. To the Editor: Hypotensive states commonly require intravenous infusions of inopressors such as epinephrine, norepinephrine, and phenylephrine. Traditionally, these high-alert medications were prepared in plastic bags at “standard” concentrations and administered using high-volume infusion pumps. Several studies have documented the stability of these […]
Read MoreAuthor: Jodi D. Sherman, MD ASA Monitor February 2024, Vol. 88, 33. Recently, hospitals on three separate continents independently discovered that most of their nitrous oxide (between 75% and 95%) leaks out through central piping manifolds prior to use, wasting money and polluting the atmosphere (Anaesthesia 2022;77:1023-9). This led to the creation of the Nitrous Oxide Project […]
Read MoreAuthor: Jodi D. Sherman, MD ASA Monitor March 2024, Vol. 88, 9–10. The ASA Committee on Environmental Health is pleased to announce the release of the third edition of Greening the Operating Room and Perioperative Arena: Environmental Sustainability in Anesthesia Practice (asamonitor.pub/GORPA). This resource document is widely read and referenced by clinicians, administrators, and policymakers across […]
Read MoreAuthors: Akira Kubo, M.S. Koji Hosokawa, M.D., Ph.D. Anesthesiology April 2024. To the Editor: We read with great interest the recent article by Vlisides et al. The authors demonstrated that while intraoperative cortical connectivity measured using 16-channel electroencephalography (EEG) was not linked to postoperative cognitive function, global theta activity was associated with postoperative delirium. The potential utility […]
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