Current opinion in anaesthesiology
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Dec 2013
ReviewAnesthesia for the young child undergoing ambulatory procedures: current concerns regarding harm to the developing brain.
Retrospective studies show that a single anesthesia exposure before age 3 may undermine language acquisition and abstract reasoning, and exposure to two or more anesthetics before age 2 almost doubles the risk of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, although in both cases causality has not yet been established.
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To assess the current use of simulation in medical education, specifically, the teaching of the basic sciences to accomplish the goal of improved integration. ⋯ Medical education is undergoing tremendous change. One of the directions of that change is increasing integration of the basic and clinical sciences to improve the efficiency and quality of medical education, and ultimately to improve the patient care. Integration is thought to improve the understanding of basic science conceptual knowledge and to better prepare the learners for clinical practice. Simulation because of its unique effects on learning is currently being successfully used by many institutions as a means to produce that integration through its use in the teaching of the basic sciences. Preliminary data indicate that simulation is an effective tool for basic science education and garners high learner satisfaction.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Dec 2013
ReviewThe patient with a history of congenital heart disease who is to undergo ambulatory surgery.
There is a strong pressure to widen the indications of ambulatory anaesthesia in children. Making a decision concerning a child with a history of cardiac disease is often difficult. The aim of this review is to give practical recommendations to help the anaesthesiologist recognize potentially dangerous situations in children with a history of cardiac disease. ⋯ A child whose cardiac disease has been corrected, who is developing well, has no exercise restriction and undergoes regular cardiologic follow-up does not present more risks than any normal American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status 1-2 child. Any other situation requires close communication with the child's paediatric cardiologist to evaluate the risks of both anaesthesia and outpatient care, and make an individualized decision accordingly.
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Changing attitudes toward global health are affecting medical education programs at all levels in the USA and abroad. This review describes some of these changes, and how these affect the educational aspects of US global health programs and anesthesia training in developing countries. ⋯ The past 5 years have brought a new global focus on workforce development and education in anesthesia. Programs need to be supported by all stakeholders and monitored for safety, quality and outcomes.