Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Nov 2024
Observational StudyDiversity, Equity, and Inclusion in US Anesthesiology Residency Matching.
Patient outcomes are improved with physician-patient gender, racial, and ethnic concordance. However, female, Black, Hispanic or Latino, Native Hawaiian-Pacific Islander (NH-PI), and American Indian-Native Alaskan (AI-AN) physicians are underrepresented in anesthesiology. The American Association of Medical Colleges 2018 Diversity in Medicine Report revealed that women comprise only 35% of anesthesiologists yet nearly half of medical school graduates are women. More than 77% of anesthesiologists are White or Asian. Anesthesiology applicant and match trends may provide insights needed to address underrepresentation within anesthesiology. We hypothesized that proportionally fewer women and racially and ethnically minoritized applicants apply and match into anesthesiology. ⋯ From 2011 to 2022, women had lower odds of applying to anesthesiology residency than men yet had similar odds of matching. Racial and ethnic minoritized groups had significantly lower odds of matching compared to White applicants despite similar odds of applying. These findings highlight disparities in the anesthesiology match and may help identify opportunities to promote workforce diversity within the field. More detailed reporting of gender, race, and ethnicity in annual match data may better define barriers to entry and identify opportunities for improvement.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Nov 2024
A Statewide Mobile Simulation Program For Improving Obstetric Skills in Rural Hospitals.
Closure of rural obstetric (OB) units has led to maternal care deserts, causing mothers to travel long distances for maternity care. Emergency departments (EDs) in hospitals where OB units have closed require regular training for personnel to maintain OB skills, as do rural Level-1 OB units with low volumes of maternity cases. We used a federal grant to develop an OB mobile simulation program to bring simulation-based training to rural providers. Our goal was to improve OB skills and standardize care through the framework of the Alliance for Innovation in Maternal Health (AIM) Patient Safety Bundles. ⋯ These results demonstrate improved skills of hospital staff in simulated PPH in Level-1 OB units and simulated OB emergencies in EDs that no longer have OB units. Further studies are warranted to assess improvement in maternal outcomes.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Nov 2024
Effect of Changing Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate Formula on Sugammadex Use and Pulmonary Complications for African American and non-African American Patients.
Sugammadex is associated with fewer postoperative pulmonary complications than is neostigmine reversal of neuromuscular blockade. However, the Food and Drug Administration-approved package insert states that its use is "not recommended" in severe renal impairment, separately defined as creatinine clearance <30 mL/min. Recently, the formula for estimating glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was updated to remove the race variable. Compared to the prior formula, the new consensus equation lowers the estimated GFR for African American patients and raises it for everyone else. We sought to determine how this change could differently impact the use of sugammadex, and thus the rate of pulmonary complications, for both African American and non-African American patients. ⋯ The recent change in GFR formulas may potentially be associated with an increase in postoperative pulmonary complications in African American patients and a decrease in postoperative pulmonary complications in non-African American patients through GFR-driven changes in sugammadex use.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Nov 2024
Involvement of Spinal Neuroplastin 65 in Neuropathic Pain by GABAA Receptor α2 Subunit Regulation.
Neuropathic pain (NP) is a highly challenging condition with complex pathological mechanisms, and the spinal gamma aminobutyric acid A receptor receptor plays a crucial role in its progression. Recent studies have revealed a potential interaction between neuroplastin 65 (NP65) and gamma aminobutyric acid A receptor α2 subunit (GABAAR-α2) on the cell surface. We hypothesize that NP65 is involved in the pathogenesis of NP by regulating the level of GABAAR-α2. ⋯ NP65 modulates the level of GABAAR-α2 through the CaN-NFATc4 signaling pathway, which may serve as the underlying mechanism of NP.