Editor's Note Increased use of neuraxial anesthesia was associated with lower hospitalization costs for hip and knee replacements, but more studies are needed before considering neuraxial anesthesia as a marker of quality, this study finds. National data on 808,237 total knee and 371,607 total hip replacements were analyzed. Increasing frequency…

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Editor's Note Limiting the level of sedation in elderly hip fracture patients with low comorbid states (Charlson comorbidity index [CCI] of 0) reduced postoperative delirium in this study. Of 200 elderly patients analyzed (100 in lighter sedation and 100 in heavier sedation levels), there was no statistically significant difference in…

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Editor's Note Awake video assisted thoracic surgery (AVATS) performed with local anesthesia and sedation allows for resection of lung cancers previously deemed inoperable because of a patient’s poor pulmonary function, finds this study presented May 23 at the American Thoracic Society International Conference in San Diego. For the study, 246…

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Editor's Note The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) on April 25 reported that a national drug shortage of injectable opioids and local anesthetics is negatively affecting care received by patients under anesthesia. An informal survey of 2,500 ASA members, found that 98% are now experiencing drug shortages at their institutions,…

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Editor's Note The American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) on March 19 expressed strong opposition to the decision by insurer Anthem, Inc, that ophthalmologists assume responsibility for the administration of anesthesia and patient monitoring during cataract procedures. “Ophthalmologists are no more qualified to administer anesthesia than CRNAs are to perform…

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Editor's Note Standardizing clinical processes for outpatient hernia repairs reduced postoperative pain and unplanned returns to the emergency department (ED), finds this study presented October 23 at the American College of Surgeons 2017 Clinical Congress in San Diego. Researchers developed a standardized eight-step protocol that incorporated best practices and enhanced…

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Editor's Note Children with multiple exposures to anesthesia before age 3 are more likely to develop adverse outcomes related to learning and attention, this study finds. Of 116 multiply exposed, 457 singly exposed, and 463 unexposed children included in the analysis, multiple, but not single, anesthesia exposures were associated with…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on April 27 issued a Safety Alert saying the agency had approved label changes on the use of general anesthetic and sedation drugs in children younger than 3 years. The changes include: A new warning that exposure to these drugs for lengthy…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 14 issued a new warning saying that repeated or lengthy use of general anesthetics and sedation drugs during surgical procedures in children younger than 3 years or pregnant women during the third trimester may affect the development of children’s brains.…

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Editor's Note The use of moderate sedation leads to better outcomes than general anesthesia for patients having transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), finds a study presented May 6 at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions annual meeting in Orlando, Florida. Of 10,997 patients included in the study, 1,737 received…

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