ASA Monitor December 2023, Vol. 87, 18. Protection against RSV illness for infants The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended the first-ever respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine for pregnant individuals to protect newborns from severe RSV illness. RSV is a leading cause of infant hospitalization in the United States. The vaccine, Pfizer’s bivalent […]
Read MoreASA Monitor December 2023, Vol. 87, 18. Small molecule drug for gene therapies Researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia have discovered that a readily available and inexpensive small-molecule drug can enhance the fitness of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) when they are modified outside the body, potentially improving the success of procedures like ex […]
Read MoreAuthor: Keith H. Baker, M.D., Ph.D. Anesthesiology Newly Published on November 2023. To the Editor: It was a pleasure to see a letter to the editor in Anesthesiology that mentioned the learning advantage of pictures compared to words.1 This advantage is known as the picture superiority effect. I was skeptical of the stated learning advantage of the picture […]
Read MoreAuthor: George Williams, MD, FASA, FCCM, FCCP ASA Monitor December 2023, Vol. 87, 26. Diversity education and awareness have long been recognized by many organizations outside and inside the house of medicine as being important for achieving resilient organizations. With regard to medical education, the Association of American Medical Colleges famously announced an ambitious goal of […]
Read MoreAuthor: Keya A. Locke, MD, MBA ASA Monitor December 2023, Vol. 87, 19. As we take stock of where we are and all that has come before – of all that was lost and all that was won on the arduous road toward equity in the realization of the American dream for all peoples, I am compelled to […]
Read MoreAUTHORS: Thilen, Stephan R. MD, MS et al Anesthesia & Analgesia 136(6):p 1143-1153, June 2023. BACKGROUND: Postoperative residual neuromuscular blockade (PRNB) is defined as an adductor pollicis train-of-four ratio (TOFR) <0.9. It is a common postoperative complication when nondepolarizing muscle relaxants are either not reversed or reversed with neostigmine. PRNB has been reported in 25% to […]
Read MoreAUTHORS: Harutyunyan, Robert MSc et al Anesthesia & Analgesia 136(6):p 1084-1095, June 2023. BACKGROUND: Medical technology is expanding at an alarming rate, with its integration into health care often reflected by the constant evolution of best practices. This rapid expansion of available treatment modalities, when coupled with progressively increasing amounts of consequential data for health care […]
Read MoreAUTHORS: Rosero, Eric B. MD, MSc et al Anesthesia & Analgesia 136(6):p 1030-1038, June 2023. BACKGROUND: Major disparities in complications and mortality after appendectomy between countries with different income levels have not been well characterized, as comparative studies at patient level between countries are scant. This study aimed to investigate variations in postoperative complications, mortality, and […]
Read MoreAUTHORS: Brown, Sydney E. S. MD, PhD et al Anesthesia & Analgesia 136(6):p 1133-1142, June 2023. BACKGROUND: Neuromuscular/neurologic disease confers increased risk of perioperative mortality in children. Some patients require tracheostomy and/or feeding tubes to ameliorate upper airway obstruction or respiratory failure and reduce aspiration risk. Empiric differences between patients with and without these devices and […]
Read MoreAUTHORS: Bose, Somnath MD, MPH, FASA et al Anesthesia & Analgesia 136(6):p 1115-1121, June 2023. BACKGROUND: Adverse effects of excessive sedation in critically ill mechanically ventilated patients are well described. Although guidelines strongly recommend minimizing sedative use, additional agents are added as infusions, often empirically. The tradeoffs associated with such decisions remain unclear. METHODS: To test […]
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