Anesthetists
Study: Use of self-filled vs prefilled syringes during anesthesia
Editor's Note In this work system analysis, the inclusion of prefilled syringes into medication delivery by anesthesia providers simplified work processes and reduced the number and associated risks of system vulnerabilities. Eight system vulnerabilities were found in the prefilled syringe system versus 21 in the self-filled syringe system. An example…
PSH initiative demonstrates measurable impact on quality, costs
Editor's Note The American Society of Anesthesiologists and Premiere on February 9 announced results from the first phase of the Perioperative Surgical Home (PSH) learning collaborative. The collaborative included 44 healthcare organizations that piloted and evaluated the PSH model from July 2014 through November 2015. Many members of the collaborative…
New clinical practice guideline on postop pain management
Editor's Note The American Pain Society, American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, and the American Society of Anesthesiologists have issued a new guideline on the “Management of Postoperative Pain.” The guideline provides recommendations that address aspects of postoperative pain management, including: preoperative education perioperative pain management planning use…
Effect of anesthesia care transitions on postop complications
Editor's Note The number of additional attending anesthesiologists and in-room providers (ie, anesthesia residents, nurse anesthetists) involved in a surgical procedure was independently associated with an increased odds of postoperative complications in this study. Though a surgical patient may receive anesthesia care from several anesthesia providers, the safety of anesthesia…
Efficacy of supplemental alarm for critically low intraoperative blood pressure
Editor's Note In this study, a supplemental alert for severe intraoperative hypotension did not reduce the duration of hypotension or hospitalization. Because intraoperative hypotension is associated with complications that might be ameliorated by earlier intervention, researchers randomized 1,598 patients to hypotension alerts and 1,567 to no alerts. The median time…
Study: Relationship between anesthesia providers and socioeconomic factors
Editor's Note Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) are the main anesthesia providers ensuring patient access to anesthesia care in lower-income areas where patients are more likely to be uninsured, unemployed, and/or Medicaid eligible, this study finds. Anesthesiologists are more closely aligned with counties that have higher income populations. Lessening restrictions…
Sheathing laryngoscope after intubation lowers contamination risks
Editor's Note When the anesthesiologist sheaths the laryngoscope immediately after endotracheal intubation, contamination of the IV hub, patient, and intraoperative environment is significantly reduced, this study finds. In a simulated study using ultraviolet light to detect contamination of seven sites on a patient, contamination was found on an average of…
Quality of supervision provided by anesthesiologists not linked to clinical productivity
Editor's Note When anesthesiologists supervise anesthesia residents and nurse anesthetists, the amount of clinical work (total weekly hours) they perform does not positively correlate with the quality of the supervision they provide, this study finds. The results suggest that anesthesiology department managers should be monitoring (and perhaps reporting) the quality…
Preop questionnaire identifies children at risk for sleep-disordered breathing
Editor's Note Implementation of a pediatric screening questionnaire (Snoring, Trouble Breathing, Un-Refreshed [STBUR]) helped anesthesia professionals identify children with symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing before undergoing general anesthesia, in this study. The likelihood of developing a perioperative respiratory adverse event increased three-fold when three of the five questions were answered yes…
AANA applauds Washington Post article on cell phone use in the OR
Editor's Note In a response to the July 13 Washington Post article questioning whether cell phones belong in the OR, the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) applauded the Post for covering the pros and cons of the issue. AANA president, Sharon Pearce, CRNA, MSN, notes that the AANA supports…
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