Current opinion in anaesthesiology
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Dec 2020
ReviewUse of cannabis and cannabinoids in palliative care setting.
Cannabis products have been used for various ailments since ancient times. But their use diminished in the medical community due to the legal and social concerns of substance abuse. With evolving evidence of their use in alleviating various symptoms, resurgence of interest in their medicinal use is seen in the past decade. ⋯ A few symptoms in palliative care setting can be difficult to treat in a few patients with the available treatment measures. Anecdotal reports and early clinical data have proved cannabinoids to be a promising pharmacological option in managing this subset of patients. However, absence of robust clinical data in proving that cannabinoids have definitely favorable risk-benefit ratio, precludes the inclusion of cannabinoids in the routine recommendation for palliative symptom management. Before cannabinoids enter the broader market with patient-driven and industry-driven hype, high-quality clinical evidence is emergently needed.
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The goal of automation is to decrease the anesthesiologist's workload and to decrease the possibility of human error. Automated systems introduce problems of its own, however, including loss of situation awareness, leaving the physician out of the loop, and training physicians how to monitor autonomous systems. This review will discuss the growing role of automated systems in healthcare and describe two types of automation failures. ⋯ Clinicians should receive generalized training on how to manage automation and should also be required to demonstrate competency before using medical equipment that employs automation, including electronic health records, infusion pumps, and ventilators.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Dec 2020
ReviewAdvances in anesthesia education: increasing access and collaboration in medical education, from E-learning to telesimulation.
The landscape of medical education continues to evolve. Educators and learners must stay informed on current medical literature, in addition to focusing efforts on current educational trends and evidence-based methods. The present review summarizes recent advancements in anesthesiology education, specifically highlighting trends in e-learning and telesimulation, and identifies possible future directions for the field. ⋯ E-learning has changed the way anesthesiology learners acquire knowledge, expanding content and curricula available and promoting international collaboration. More work should be done to expand the principles of accessible and collaborative education to psychomotor and cognitive learning via telesimulation.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Dec 2020
ReviewAdvances in airway management and mechanical ventilation in inhalation injury.
Airway management, mechanical ventilation, and treatment of systemic poisoning in burn patients with inhalation injury remains challenging. This review summarizes new concepts as well as open questions. ⋯ Burn patients need specialized care that requires specific knowledge about airway management, mechanical ventilation, and carbon monoxide and cyanide poisoning.