Current opinion in anaesthesiology
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Jun 2022
ReviewSafe in the first attempt: teaching neonatal airway management.
Quick and precise facemask ventilation and tracheal intubation are critical clinical skills in neonatal airway management. In addition, this vulnerable population requires a thorough understanding of developmental airway anatomy and respiratory physiology to manage and anticipate potential airway mishaps. Neonates have greater oxygen consumption, increased minute ventilation relative to functional residual capacity, and increased closing volumes compared to older children and adults. After a missed airway attempt, this combination can quickly lead to dire consequences, such as cardiac arrest. Keeping neonates safe throughout the first attempt of airway management is key. ⋯ Every neonatal intubation should be considered a critical event. Below we discuss some of the challenges in neonatal airway management, including anatomical and physiological principles which must be understood to approach the airway. We then follow with a description of current evidence for best practices and training.
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This review focuses on physician workforce racial & ethnic diversity as a solution to improve perioperative and peripartum health equity. ⋯ Academic medicine has recognized the need to diversify the physician workforce for more than 50 years, and yet Black, Indigenous, and Hispanic physicians remain URiM. Foundational assumptions and power structures in medicine limit entry, advancement, and retention of URiM physicians. Solutions require leadership and institutional commitment to change the policies, procedures, priorities, and culture of academic medicine.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Jun 2022
ReviewSafe surgery for every child, implementation of paediatric anaesthesia training in Nigeria.
Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and 43.5% of its population is under 15 years. Most of these children do not have access to specialized paediatric anaesthesia care when needed, as there are only few paediatric anaesthetists in the country. We highlight the barriers to safe anaesthesia in children, present training opportunities in paediatric anaesthesia and the need for additional, more extensive training in Nigeria. ⋯ To solve the urgent problem of acute shortage of paediatric anaesthetists in Nigeria, general anaesthetists should be empowered through short courses to provide safe anaesthesia for children. A comprehensive Fellowship programme is urgently needed to train specialists in paediatric anaesthesia. Equipment upgrade, creation of children's hospitals and empowerment for research are important end points that require governmental support.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Jun 2022
ReviewRacial and ethnic disparities in access to gynecologic care.
Despite efforts to minimize patient barriers to equitable care, health disparities persist in gynecology. This paper seeks to highlight racial and ethnic disparities in gynecologic care as represented by recent literature. ⋯ As we identify these social disparities in healthcare, we gain valuable knowledge of where our efforts are lacking and where we can further improve the health of women. Future research should focus on identifying and combating such disparities with measurable changes in health outcomes.
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The purpose of this review is to discuss how state perinatal quality collaboratives are addressing birth equity to reduce disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality. ⋯ Mason CL, Collier CH, Penny SC. Perinatal Quality Collaboratives and Birth Equity. Produced by CLMB Productions for use in this publication. January 10, 2022, http://links.lww.com/COAN/A86.