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Uncategorized Published - 16 June, 2017    By - Dr Clemens
Anesthesia Safety Concerns for CT-Guided Tumor Cryoablation and the Risk of the Frozen Instrument

Authors: Medhat S. Hannallah, MD, Raj Parekh, MD, and Shahine Baghai, MD To the Editor: Cryoablation is increasingly used to treat unresectable malignant tumors. During cryotherapy it may not be possible to immediately remove the freezing element from an organ in an emergency without active thawing. We recently cared for a patient that illustrated the […]

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Uncategorized Published - 16 June, 2017    By - Dr Clemens
TAVRs under MAC: Debate Continues!

To the Editor: In the February 2017 article entitled “The Anesthesia Professional’s Role in Patient Safety During TAVR (Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement),1 Drs. Novak and Parulkar concisely elucidate a number of points in the care of TAVR patients. In particular, they present a thoughtful analysis of the current data on choice of anesthetic for these cases. […]

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Uncategorized Published - 16 June, 2017    By - Dr Clemens
Medication Safety: An Important APSF Initiative Revisited

Author: Tricia Meyer, PharmD Medication errors have been estimated to occur in approximately 5% of medication administrations during surgery with a large majority of them being preventable.1 High-quality evidence-based literature on preventative measures is limited. Medication utilization in the perioperative area is fundamentally different from the typical hospital patient care units. The anesthesia professional is the […]

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Uncategorized Published - 16 June, 2017    By - Dr Clemens
Spotlight on Infection Prevention: Safe Injection Practices

Author: Terri Lee Roberts, BSN, RN, CIC, FAPIC Safe injection practices are part of Standard Precautions, providing for patient safety and health care provider protections. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), syringe reuse and misuse of medication vials over the past decade have resulted in dozens of infectious outbreaks and the […]

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Uncategorized Published - 15 June, 2017    By - Dr Clemens
Ramped Position Not Superior to Sniffing Position for Intubating Critical Care Patients

Authors: Semler MW et al., Chest 2017 May 6; In this study of intensive care unit patients, the ramped position did not reduce rates of desaturation, and it increased the difficulty of intubation. These authors performed a multicenter randomized trial to compare the ramped versus the sniffing position for intubating intensive care unit (ICU) patients. A total of […]

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Uncategorized Published - 15 June, 2017    By - Dr Clemens
Predicting Perioperative Transfusion in Elective Hip and Knee Arthroplasty: A Validated Predictive Model

Authors: Josephine To, B.Pharm. et al Anesthesiology published on June 1, 2017. Background: Preoperative anemia is a significant predictor of perioperative erythrocyte transfusion in elective arthroplasty patients. However, interactions with other patient and procedure characteristics predicting transfusion requirements have not been well studied. Methods: Patients undergoing elective primary total hip arthroplasty or total knee arthroplasty at a tertiary […]

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Uncategorized Published - 15 June, 2017    By - Dr Clemens
Accuracy of Capillary and Arterial Whole Blood Glucose Measurements Using a Glucose Meter in Patients under General Anesthesia in the Operating Room

Authors: Brad S. Karon, M.D., Ph.D. et al Anesthesiology published on June 1, 2017 Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of a glucose meter with surgical patients under general anesthesia in the operating room. Methods: Glucose measurements were performed intraoperatively on 368 paired capillary and arterial whole blood samples using a Nova StatStrip […]

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Uncategorized Published - 15 June, 2017    By - Dr Clemens
Effectiveness of Written and Oral Specialty Certification Examinations to Predict Actions against the Medical Licenses of Anesthesiologists

Authors: Yan Zhou, Ph.D. et al Anesthesiology 6 2017, Vol.126, 1171-1179. Background: The American Board of Anesthesiology administers written and oral examinations for its primary certification. This retrospective cohort study tested the hypothesis that the risk of a disciplinary action against a physician’s medical license is lower in those who pass both examinations than those who pass […]

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Uncategorized Published - 15 June, 2017    By - Dr Clemens
Persistent Pain Associated with Increased Dementia Risk

Elders with persistent pain may be at increased risk for dementia, suggests a JAMA Internal Medicine study. Researchers studied 10,000 community-dwelling adults aged 60 and older; 11% said they were often bothered by moderate or severe pain in 1998 and 2000. Memory and dementia probability scores were tracked until 2012, and analyses were adjusted for health and […]

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Uncategorized Published - 14 June, 2017    By - Dr Clemens
Opioid Prescribing Guidelines for Chronic, Non-Cancer Pain

Experts in a variety of medical fields were brought in by ASIPP to review available evidence and create recommendations. The American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP) has issued updated opioid prescribing guidelines for the management of patients with chronic, non-cancer pain. The guidelines were published in Pain Physician.1 Experts in a variety of medical fields […]

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