Current opinion in anaesthesiology
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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
ReviewThreat and error management for anesthesiologists: a predictive risk taxonomy.
Patient care in the operating room is a dynamic interaction that requires cooperation among team members and reliance upon sophisticated technology. Most human factors research in medicine has been focused on analyzing errors and implementing system-wide changes to prevent them from recurring. We describe a set of techniques that has been used successfully by the aviation industry to analyze errors and adverse events and explain how these techniques can be applied to patient care. ⋯ TEM offers a multifaceted strategy for identifying hazards, reducing errors, and training physicians. A threat taxonomy may improve analysis of critical events with subsequent development of specific interventions, and may also serve as a framework for training programs in risk mitigation.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Dec 2013
ReviewPreanesthesia evaluation for ambulatory surgery: do we make a difference?
Ambulatory surgery is considered low risk; however, both surgery-related and patient-related factors combine to determine the overall risk of a procedure. The preanesthesia evaluation is useful to gather information and determine whether additional testing or medical optimization is necessary prior to surgery with the goal to prevent adverse events and improve outcomes. ⋯ Current literature supports a preanesthesia visit that focuses on individual patient evaluations and patient-directed effective interventions. This is in contrast to the previous routine, protocolized preoperative preparations. The challenge for anesthesiologists lies in understanding both surgery-specific and patient-specific risk factors, and targeting interventions to optimize the outcomes.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Dec 2013
ReviewBeyond the caudal: truncal blocks an alternative option for analgesia in pediatric surgical patients.
To discuss and compare the more commonly used truncal blocks with neuraxial techniques in children undergoing a variety of thoracic, abdominal and urological procedures. ⋯ The use of regional anesthesia particularly with ultrasound guidance is an integral part of pain management during the intraoperative and postoperative period in children who undergo surgery. Its use is essential in improving patient pain control and overall satisfaction as well as decreasing hospital stay and reducing hospital admission after surgery. Truncal blocks serve as an excellent alternative to neuraxial blockade, in patients who have a contraindication to neuraxial blockade, patients undergoing a unilateral procedure and those in an outpatient ambulatory setting undergoing routine procedures, wherein the adverse effects of neuraxial blockade such as motor weakness, difficulty ambulating, urinary retention, increased nausea and vomiting, may delay same day discharge.
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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.