Author: Steven L. Shafer, MD, FASA ASA Monitor February 2024, Vol. 88, 1–4. It’s obvious that the Earth rotates around the sun, that stars are distant suns, that you push on the chest if you want to circulate blood during CPR, and that you should gradually raise the head and thorax if you want to better […]
Read MoreAuthors: Samuel Percy, MD et al ASA Monitor February 2024, Vol. 88, 20–21. Anesthesia providers working at Navajo Nation health care facilities face many challenges, including a rural setting, late presentation of advanced pathology, and limited support staff. These challenges contribute to high numbers of open positions and short-term contract providers. However, for those willing to […]
Read MoreAuthors: Dibash Kumar Das, PhD; Steven L. Shafer, MD, FASA ASA Monitor January 2024, Vol. 88, 1–7. The COVID-19 pandemic spurred unprecedented advances in many aspects of biomedicine. Among the most astonishing was the rapid development of mRNA vaccines, a technology for which Drs. Karikó and Weissman were awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine […]
Read MoreASA Monitor February 2024, Vol. 88, 10. A 68-year-old retired physician who has coronary artery disease is seen in the preoperative clinic before his scheduled coronary artery bypass graft. He asks about options for pain control, including nerve blocks and neuraxial techniques. According to a recent systematic review and meta-analysis, compared with general anesthesia, the use […]
Read MoreASA Monitor February 2024, Vol. 88, 16. Vaccine approval for chikungunya virus The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval to Ixchiq, marking the first vaccine for chikungunya virus. Designed for individuals aged 18 and older at an elevated risk of chikungunya virus exposure, the vaccine addresses an emerging global health threat with over […]
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