Current opinion in anaesthesiology
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Aug 2018
ReviewNonoperating room anesthesia for gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures.
To assess the trends in nonoperating room anesthesia (NORA) for gastrointestinal endoscopy over the past few years, and to describe alternative methods of delivering propofol sedation in selected low-risk patients. ⋯ The use of NORA for routine gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures has been rising steadily over the past decade in the United States, considerably increasing healthcare costs. Because of this, there have been attempts to develop nonanesthesiologist-administered propofol sedation methods in low-risk patients. There is controversy as to whether properly trained nonanesthesia personnel can use propofol safely via the modalities of nurse-administered propofol sedation, computer-assisted propofol sedation or nurse-administered continuous propofol sedation SUMMARY: The deployment of nonanesthesia-administered propofol sedation for low-risk procedures allows for optimal allocation of scarce anesthesia resources, which can be more appropriately used for more complex cases. This can address some of the current shortages in anesthesia provider supply, and can potentially reduce overall healthcare costs without sacrificing sedation quality. We also address the realm of anesthesia provider care for advanced endoscopic procedures including setup for administration of anesthesia, decision-making regarding placement of an endotracheal tube, and the potential need to move a challenging case to the operating room.
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Nonoperating room anesthesia (NORA) and procedural services often are associated with dispersed geographic settings and small volumes of cases. These lead to scheduling challenges that, if not managed well, result in decreased patient and healthcare team satisfaction and reduced efficiency. This review describes recent studies and provides examples on how NORA scheduling issues have been addressed. ⋯ Many factors play a role in successful scheduling of NORA services. Increasing consolidation of services, the use of block scheduling, and leadership by anesthesiologists can help improve patient and healthcare team satisfaction and practice efficiencies.
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Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) as a treatment option in psychiatry is advancing day by day. This review discusses new advancements in ECT with regards to anesthetic variables, stimulus, and response variables along with their impact on clinical outcomes. ⋯ Modern ECT is streamlined by augmentation with drugs, hyperventilation, optimizing anesthesia-ECT time interval, and various stimulus parameters guided by seizure adequacy markers.
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Anesthetics, such as thiopental, methohexital, propofol and ketamine have been used to induce unconsciousness for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), each with its advantages and disadvantages. Only until recently was it discovered that ketamine may have inherent antidepressant effects. We reviewed the side effect profile of ketamine and examined the literature for whether or not ketamine augments the antidepressant effects of ECT. ⋯ Large, multicenter randomized controlled trials are needed to further investigate the potential advantages of adding ketamine to ECT for patients with severe or refractory depression. The addition of ketamine to ECT treatment may have some early beneficial effect in patients with acute depressive disorders. Most likely, ECT itself is responsible for lasting remission from severe depression. Ketamine's side effect profile may be undesirable in certain patient populations, and so the risks and benefits of the addition of this drug to ECT treatment must be weighed.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Aug 2018
ReviewDo we really need an anesthesiologist for routine colonoscopy in American Society of Anesthesiologist 1 and 2 patients?
In an era where healthcare costs are being heavily scrutinized, every expenditure is reviewed for medical necessity. Multiple national gastroenterology societies have issued statements regarding whether an anesthesiologist is necessary for routine colonoscopies in American Society of Anesthesiologist (ASA) 1 and 2 patients. ⋯ A large multiinstitutional randomized control trial would be necessary to rule out potential confounders and to determine whether there is a safety benefit or detriment to having anesthesiologist-directed care in the setting of routine colonoscopies in ASA 1 and 2 patients. Further discussion would be necessary regarding what the monetary value of that effect is if a small difference were to be detected.