Author: Cameron Cortigiano Becker’s ASC Review Massachusetts has the highest number of anesthesiologists per capita out of any state at 26.78 anesthesiologists for every 100,000 residents. California has the highest number of anesthesiologists in total and 13.84 per capita. Data on the number of anesthesiologists in each state are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which […]

Autnhors: Lara India, MD; Jason N. Batten, MD, MA ASA Monitor November 2024, Vol. 88, 15–17. Imagine a patient presenting with a malignant bowel obstruction from metastatic colon cancer. She recently stopped chemotherapy due to frailty and worsening liver injury. Her oncologist recommended hospice care, which she declined. Now, she presents with severe abdominal discomfort and nausea […]

ASA Monitor December 2024, Vol. 88, 28–29. FDA clears Pi-Cardia’s leaflet-splitting device for valve-in-valve TAVR procedures00p The FDA has granted a de novo clearance to Pi-Cardia’s ShortCut device, designed to open up previously implanted heart valves and clear a path for blood to flow into the coronary arteries, allowing patients to undergo a successive transcatheter aortic […]

Authors: Helen Olkaba, MS; Edward R. Mariano, MD, MAS, FASA, FASRA ASA Monitor December 2024, Vol. 88, 31. The long-awaited Fascial Plane Block Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes will become available starting January 1, 2025. These new codes will be used to report thoracic, lower-extremity, and abdominal fascial plane blocks for postoperative pain management. Currently, since there […]

Radius Anesthesia Pediatric anesthesia presents unique challenges and considerations compared to adult anesthesia, requiring specialized knowledge and techniques to ensure safe and effective care. The fundamental differences between pediatric and adult patients stem from their distinct anatomical, physiological, and psychological characteristics, which significantly impact anesthetic management. One of the most notable differences between pediatric and […]

ASA Monitor December 2024, Vol. 88, 28–29. Bone marrow cancer drug shows success in treatment of rare blood disorder A clinical trial supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was stopped early after researchers found sufficient evidence that a drug used to treat bone marrow cancer and Kaposi sarcoma is safe and effective in treating […]

Author: Molly Gamble Becker’s Hospital CFO Report More than 700 rural U.S. hospitals are at risk of closure due to financial problems, with more than half of those hospitals at immediate risk of closure. The count comes from the latest analysis from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, which is based on CMS’s October 2024 […]

Author: Pamela Schumacher, MS, CCMP ASA Monitor December 2024, Vol. 88, 30–31. An interventional radiologist, a perfusionist, and an anesthesiologist walk into a nonoperating room clinical suite and successfully perform a novel procedure for metastatic uveal melanoma, a rare, often-untreatable disease. It’s not a joke or even science fiction, but a reality at UCLA Health, where […]

Authors: Ketan Chopra, MD et al  ASA Monitor December 2024, Vol. 88, 22–23. Dr. J, a seasoned anesthesiologist, was nearing the end of an unrelenting week in the OR when she was tasked with leading a team of resident trainees through a complex open repair of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm on a 56-year-old man. After […]

Author: Elizabeth T. Drum, MD, FAAP, FCPP, FASA ASA Monitor December 2024, Vol. 88, e2–e3. Delegates at the most recent Pacific Society of Anaesthetists meeting – a clear sign that member numbers are growing, and slowly but surely heading in the right direction. Twenty years ago, the delegate numbers would have filled just the first two […]