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The Independent Monthly Newspaper for Anesthesiologists AnesthesiologyNews.com • J a n u a r y 2 0 1 1 • Volume 37 Number 1
Plagiarism in Med Lit Frustrates Journals
Report: Hospital Mortality Falls 40 million records studied; GI surgery mortality up; Reliability of data questioned
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he largest annual study of hospital quality in the United States found that unadjusted mortality rates improved considerably from 2007 to 2009 in almost all procedures measured, falling 7.98% over the three years. The greatest improvements in unadjusted mortality were observed in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (18.73%), bowel obstruction (14.72%), heart attack (13.68%) and stroke (13.5%). Gastroenterology and coronary interventional procedures, however, bucked the trend with unadjusted mortality rates increasing by 8.76% and 9.26%, respectively, according to the 13th Annual HealthGrades
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f a plagiarist plagiarizes from an author who herself has plagiarized, do we call it a wash and go for a beer? That scenario is precisely what Steven L. Shafer, MD, found himself facing recently. Dr. Shafer, editorin-chief of Anesthesia & Analgesia (A&A), learned that authors of a 2008 case report in his publication had lifted two-and-a-half paragraphs of text from a 2004 paper published in the Canadian Journal of Anesthesia. A contrite retraction letter, which appears in the December issue of A&A, from the lead author, Sushma Bhatnagar, MD, of New Delhi, called the plagiarism “unintended” and apologized for the incident. Straightforward enough. But then things get sticky. Amazingly, the
see hospital mortality page 16
Life in a Fix: Confessions Of an Addicted Physician
see word theft page 18
INside
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he majority of my patients complained of low back pain, which is easy to fake and virtually impossible to disprove. The differential diagnosis is broad, PART 2 Editor’s note: Joel Freedland, DO, is a self-described physician addict. and when combined with other Dr. Freedland recently was released from a Michigan prison, where he common complaints such as hypertension, served four years for defrauding Medicaid. Before serving his sentence, he chest pain and nausea, allowed me to break the spent 17 years as a fugitive, living in the Middle East, South America and bank at Medicaid. What did I care? I was rich elsewhere. The following article is the second in a three-part series written and stoned. There was no limit to my potential, by Dr. Freedland about his experiences. Anesthesiology News is unable and I was eyeing an even larger clinic to take to verify most of me to 20 physician employees. the statements Meanwhile, my addiction was becoming more made in these and more out of hand. At one point, within a articles, as they year of starting at my new clinic, I overdosed and represent personal a medical assistant called for help. I was taken recollections with to an emergency room where the physician on no supporting call correctly assessed the problem. I signed out information beyond against medical advice as soon as he suggested a the author’s urine sample for drug screen. assertions.
06 | In Brief Anesthesia in images: Inside the hospital ship Mercy.
10 | technology Simulation exercises reveal hidden hazards.
28 | CLinical Anesthesiology Spiking ocular pressures during RALP raise concern.
32 | Pain Medicine Probing bupivacaine for hints at novel anesthetics.
McMahonMedicalBooks.com The Essence of Analgesia and Analgesics Edited by Raymond S. Sinatra; Jonathan S. Jahr; J. Michael Watkins-Pitchford
see page 37
see juggernaut page 22
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surf watch see page 4.
GlideScope® Direct Intubation Trainer, see page 24.