AUTHOR: David E Arnolds, MD, PhD Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation Oct 22 Amniotic fluid embolism (AFE) is a catastrophic complication unique to the obstetric patient characterized by acute cardiovascular collapse and a profound coagulopathy.1 While AFE is rare, with an incidence of 1–2/100,000 pregnancies, it is associated with a mortality or permanent neurologic injury rate of […]
Read MoreDG News The latest guidance in addressing proper monitoring and reversal of neuromuscular blockade drugs during general anaesthesia — a major advance in patient safety and satisfaction — was published in the journal Anesthesiology. While neuromuscular blocking drugs aid surgery, it is important to prevent any lingering effect of the muscle relaxant, known as residual paralysis, […]
Read MoreAUTHORS: Wright, Mary Cooter MS et al Anesthesia & Analgesia 136(2):p 205-214, February 2023. BACKGROUND: Previous studies of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) risk in gravidas with chronic hypertension (cHTN) did not control for obesity as a risk factor for OSA. We therefore performed this study to evaluate whether OSA is more prevalent among gravidas with cHTN […]
Read MoreAUTHORS: Basile, Ellen R. DO et al Anesthesia & Analgesia 136(1):p 6-12, January 2023. BACKGROUND: The representation of women among leaders in the field of anesthesia continues to trail that of their male counterparts. This qualitative study was conducted to understand the pathway of leadership acquisition among women in the field of anesthesiology. METHODS: Using constructivist […]
Read MoreAUTHORS: George Tewfik, MD, MBA, FASA, CPE, MSBA et al Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation Oct 23 SUMMARY:The use of the post anesthesia care unit (PACU) as an intensive care unit (ICU) is a decision that can be made to accommodate overflow patients that require critical care. There are numerous risks and benefits to this alternate […]
Read MoreDG News Some antidepressant drugs are effective for some pain conditions, but most are either ineffective or the evidence is inconclusive, despite being used for a range of pain conditions, according to an overview of the latest evidence published by The BMJ today. To explore this further, Giovanni Ferreira, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, and colleagues searched […]
Read MoreDG Journal Club AUTHORS: Xi Zhang et al Trials. 2023 Jan 29; 24(1): 67 BACKGROUND The double-lumen tube (DLT) is an essential equipment for thoracic anesthesia and the precise position of DLT placement is particularly important for anesthesia and surgery. However, the incidence of DLT malposition remains high and it leads to lung isolation failure […]
Read MoreAUTHORS: Schnetz, Michael P. MD, PhD et al Anesthesia & Analgesia 136(2):p 194-203, February 2023. BACKGROUND: Intraoperative hypotension (IOH) is strongly linked to organ system injuries and postoperative death. Blood pressure itself is a powerful predictor of IOH; however, it is unclear which pressures carry the lowest risk and may be leveraged to prevent subsequent hypotension. […]
Read MoreAUTHORS: Jonathan M. Tan, MD, MPH, MBI, FASA et al Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation Feb 2023 INTRODUCTION Anesthesiology as a specialty has a long history of innovation in technology development linked to improvements in patient safety. However, the speed of technological development in the past 20 years has been unprecedented. This is mostly related to […]
Read MoreAuthors: Molly Kraus, MD; Karl Poterack, MD Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation Oct 22 In May of 2022, a former Vanderbilt nurse was convicted of gross neglect of an impaired adult and criminally negligent homicide for the death of her patient in 2017. While she had intended to give her patient midazolam (Versed) for sedation during […]
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