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Anesthesiology 2011 meeting issue
The Independent Monthly Newspaper for Anesthesiologists AnesthesiologyNews.com • O c t o b e r 2 0 1 1 • Volume 37 Number 10
Fast-tracking TKA Patients Viable Las Vegas—As the number of total knee replacement surgeries is predicted to skyrocket in the near future, health care institutions continually seek ways to reduce associated costs and decrease hospital length of stay. A proof-ofconcept trial by investigators at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center may have addressed both issues, having found that the surgery can be performed on an ambulatory basis in a meaningful percentage of patients.
Mounting Board Demands Foster Growing Unease
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nesthesiologists and other physicians are becoming increasingly concerned that conditions for maintaining board certification may also become unofficial requirements for maintaining state licensure, turning what has been voluntary into something that is mandatory to practice medicine. Many physicians also worry that they may have to duplicate the expensive and timeconsuming board maintenance of certification requirements to retain their medical licenses. Physicians who became board-certified during the past decade must pass a closed-book written examination and provide medical practice performance evaluations in addition to obtaining traditional continuing medical
see tka page 68
see demands page 28
Anesthesiologists and Pharmacists Partner To Improve OR Outcomes Denver—By teaming up with pharmaCenter, had recognized cists, anesthesiologists can enhance their the challenges in discapacity to protect patient safety and tribution, persontheir hospital’s bottom line. nel accountability That was the common conclusion of and patient safety two posters presented at the American with controlled Society for Health-System Pharmasubstances—parcists Summer Meeting—one proposing ticularly in the a new tool to track the use, and waste, of fast-paced operatanesthetic agents and another comparing ing room (OR). With the effectiveness of two popular inhaled such a wide range of difanesthetics. ferent anesthesia kits and reports, it was “difficult to reconcile what anesthesioloSafety Through Standardization gists said they were using with what they Michael Chappell, RPh, operations actually used,” he said. see partner page 44 supervisor at Methodist Dallas Medical
INside
52 | CLinical Anesthesiology Special section on bloodstream infections.
06 | COMMENTARY A new way to lose a bundle—life under CMS’ new payment system.
50 | technology Why the iPad is changing anesthesia training.
84 | PRN How nitrous oxide fueled the fortunes of two 19th-century titans.
86 | PAIN MEDICINE Taking aim at opioid overprescribing.
24 |
Benefits of Extending the Duration of a Local Analgesic as Part of a Multimodal Regimen For Postsurgical Pain
42 |
Guiding Fluid Management in the Surgical Setting (Part 2 of a 2-Part Series)
91 | CME—PreAnesthetic Assessment Lesson 294: PreAnesthetic Assessment of the Patient With Hereditary Angioedema
Newproducts
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Nexfin from BMEYE,
see page 34.
FLOW-i® Anesthesia Delivery System from Maquet, see page 68.
GlideScope AVL Reusable Video Laryngoscopes from Verathon Medical, see page 86.