When an elderly loved one needs surgery, there are a host of worries and fears in the minds of friends, family, and caregivers. Advanced age predisposes people to many surgical complications, but one of the most common yet least recognized…
Tag: New York Anesthesia Services
Surgical Navigators, a New Front for Surgery
As the surgical field progresses to new technological and strategic heights, the role of addressing patient satisfaction is increasingly important for practice development — both in and out of the operating room (OR). Along with clinical efficacy, patient satisfaction is…
Prevention and Management of Postoperative Delirium
Delirium is defined as an acute cognitive decline in the form of inattention, disorganized thinking, and fluctuating mental status. It is seen most often in elderly hospitalized patients, especially those who are critically ill. A separate varietal, emergence delirium, is…
Perioperative Surgical Home
The perioperative surgical home (PSH) model is a novel treatment paradigm in which the anesthesiologist serves as the coordinator of care from the preoperative to perioperative phase. In effect, the PSH model aims to increase efficiency in the care continuum…
Expanesthetics: Bringing Anesthesia Research to Venture Capitalism
There are anesthesia providers who recall using ether and halothane anesthetics, agents largely unheard of in American operating rooms today. Newer agents with fewer negative side effects and superior pharmacokinetic profiles have all but replaced them, each in its turn…
Pain Management After Cesarean Delivery
Cesarean delivery is the most commonly performed major surgery in the country. Effective postoperative pain management is of foremost concern for patients, and should be achieved through a multimodal approach. Potential complications for poor pain control in the immediate postoperative…
Nitrous Oxide for Labor Analgesia
Inhaled nitrous oxide has been used for labor analgesia since the late 1800s. It is not a potent labor analgesic, but it can provide effective pain relief and is safe for pregnant women, their newborns, and health care workers. Nitrous…
Discerning a Patient’s Potential for Non-Medical Use of Opioids
The United States is experiencing an increase of opioid related deaths, driven by high rates of prescription, high prescription dosages, and high rates of opioid use and misuse.[1] The National Institute on Drug Abuse reported that 2.6 million Americans over…
Sharps Safety
Sharps related injuries are especially common in the perioperative setting. Anesthesia providers, perioperative nurses, and surgical staff are at particular risk for sustaining injuries from sharp instruments, given their need to administer medications, draw samples of blood and bodily fluid,…
Selective Cannabinoids: A Potential Adjuvant for Chronic Neuropathic Pain?
For anesthesia pain specialists, neuropathic pain continues to be an elusive target. Anti-epileptics, antidepressant, and opiate medications have historically been used for its treatment, but nonetheless as many as two in three patients who suffer from neuropathic pain are recalcitrant…