Anesthesiologists
Breaking down the anesthesia workforce imbalance, strategies to address crisis
Editor's Note Increased demand for anesthesia services, especially in non-operating room (non-OR) sites, has outpaced the growth of anesthesia clinicians, a June 2024 special article published by the journal Anesthesiology reports. The imbalance in the anesthesia workforce supply and demand, the article argues, was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and…
Study finds no link between anesthesia dose, postop delirium
Editor's Note Higher doses of anesthesia did not affect risk of postoperative delirium in a study of more than 1,000 heart surgery patients, according to a June 10 United Press International (UPI) article on study findings published in JAMA. The research included 1,140 heart surgery patients, half of whom had…
State of the huddle: The barriers to and benefits of preop meetings
Complex problems do not always require complex solutions. Consider the surgical safety checklist. In 2020, more than a decade after the World Health Organization (WHO) started advocating that every hospital use the checklist, research from PSNET found that more than 90% of ORs in countries with a high human development…
Ketamine, other anesthetics show promise for depression, mental health treatment
Editor's Note The advance of ketamine and other anesthetics as depression treatments is spurring collaboration among anesthesiologists and psychiatrists for further advances in mental health treatment, according to an article in the June issue of Anesthesiology, the peer-reviewed journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists. As the established experts in…
Carbon-conscious health systems phase out desflurane anesthesia gas to reduce emissions
Editor's Note Citing environmental concerns, multiple health systems have stopped using desflurane anesthesia gas, Becker’s Hospital Review reported on May 7. Citing the Philadelphia Inquirer, the outlet notes that Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Marlton, N.J.-based Virtua Health are among those that have eliminated the gas so far, with the…
Study: Surgical team diversity improves patient outcomes
Editor's Note The more diverse the surgical team, the better the outcomes for patients and the lower the cost of care, according to a study of more than 700,000 operations at 88 hospitals in Ontario, Canada. Published May 15 in the British Journal of Surgery, findings show that surgeon-anesthetist teams…
Study: Standard preoperative fasting instructions sufficient for diabetic patients
Editor's Note Recent research suggests that minimizing the risk of perioperative pulmonary aspiration in diabetic patients does not require different fasting instructions. However, at least one expert has questioned the results, and widespread glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists for the treatment of both type 2 diabetes and weight loss can…
Data cast doubt on recommendation to delay weight-loss meds prior to surgery
Editor's Note A recent analysis of insurance claims data suggests weight-loss medications like Ozempic (semaglutide), Trulicity (dulaglutide), and other glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists do not increase risks associated with undergoing anesthesia. As reported April 22 in MedPage Today, these finding that contradicts a June 2023 recommendation from the American Society of…
Propofol anesthesia for colonoscopy could help find polyps, prevent cancer
Editor's Note By putting the patient into deeper sedation during colonoscopy, propofol could help doctors find difficult-to-spot, potentially cancerous “serrated” polyps, according to a study published April 17 in Anesthesiology. As an alternative to moderate, “conscious” sedation, propofol facilitates a more thorough exam that is more likely to identify serrated…
Anesthesiologists push to improve pain control during caesarean delivery
Editor's Note A letter to the editor published April 10 in Anesthesiology, the official publication of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), calls attention to an official statement outlining best practices for ensuring all moms-to-be receive adequate pain management during planned or unexpected C-sections. The best practices are outlined in…
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