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THE INDEPENDENT MONTHLY NEWSPAPER FOR ANESTHESIOLOGISTS AnesthesiologyNews.com • O c t o b e r 2 0 1 2 • Volume 38 Number 10
40th Anniversary 1972-2012
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ighter anesthesia does not reduce the incidence of postoperative morbidity and short-term mortality in patients undergoing noncardiac surgery, researchers have found. The randomized controlled study, which undercuts previous reports, also failed to reveal higher inflammatory levels among more deeply anesthetized patients. The researchers presented their results at the 2012 annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (abstract 1200).
As Liposuction Deaths Mount, Study Exposes Cracks in Safety
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quarter-centuryy after the nation’s plastic surgeons received what amounted to carte blanche to per-form liposuction, a new analysis suggests that the procedure is no safer than it was back then. Making matters worse, the researchers said, the surgery has been oversimplified in the popular media, while Americans,, who continue to become obese at an alarming pace, are hungry for a quick solu-tion to their weight problem. Throw into the mix an ample supply of seeminglyy unscrupulous physicians and state regu-lators who do not appear ready to crackk
see depth page 78
see liposuction page 84
INSIDE
Long Past the Schoolyard, Anesthesiologists Still Face Bullying on the Job
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ullying is not simply a childhood power struggle that ends with the transition from the playground to adulthood. Social scientists have come to recognize that the “aggressive behavior intended to cause distress or harm that involves an imbalance of power between the aggressor and the victim” can persist long after graduates trade in their backpacks for briefcases— or stethoscopes. New research shows that bullying is a significant problem among
Girish Menon / Shutterstock.com
Anesthesia Depth Not Linked to Post-op Outcomes
anesthesia providers, with the potential for putting patients in danger. In a study presented at the International Anesthesia Research Society’s annual meeting in May, a research team at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), in Newark, found that 54% of anesthesia providers surveyed there felt that they had been bullied in the past two years, with 70% reporting
12 | COMMENTARY
92 | CLINICAL ANESTHESIOLOGY
A SCIPpery Slope: Philosophical shift takes the individual out of medicine.
Local anesthetic overkill?
98 | POLICY & MANAGEMENT
60 | PAIN MEDICINE
Sexual misconduct and the practicing physician.
New York I-STOP law targets painkiller abuse.
106 | AD LIB The history of anesthesia’s future.
CME: PREANESTHETIC ASSESSMENT Lesson 300: Preanesthetic Assessment of the Patient With Hepatitis C, see page 73.
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see bully page 50
Incorporating a Novel Local Analgesic Into an Opioid-Sparing Strategy for Postsurgical Pain (Part 1 of a 3-Part Series) Perioperative Patient Monitoring: Case Studies in Major Abdominal Surgery
NEW PRODUCTS
F1RSTUse from Anesthesia Business Consultants, see pages 2, 3 and 31.
BritePro Solo from Flexicare Inc., see pages 50 and 65.
Pyxis® Anesthesia system with Codonics™ SLS 500i™ Safe Label System™ from CareFusion, see pages 6 and 58.