Current opinion in anaesthesiology
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Aug 2019
Anesthesia practice for endovascular therapy of acute ischemic stroke in Europe.
Anesthetic assistance is often required during endovascular therapy (EVT) of large vessel occlusion in patients with acute ischemic stroke. It is currently debated whether EVT should be performed under general anesthesia or conscious sedation. This review will summarize the recent literature with emphasis on the influence of anesthesia method on neurological outcome. ⋯ The optimal anesthetic practice for EVT remains to be identified. Currently, conscious sedation is often an easy first-line strategy, but general anesthesia can be considered an equal and safe alternative to conscious sedation when there is a carefully administered anesthetic that maintains strict hemodynamic control. Attention to ventilation is advocated. The presence of a specialized neuroanesthesiologist or otherwise dedicated anesthesia personnel is highly recommended.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Aug 2019
ReviewThe rise, fall, and future direction of computer-assisted personalized sedation.
The first computer-assisted personalized sedation (CAPS) device was developed to address the growing demand for routine endoscopy procedures in the United States in the early 2000s. This review will describe the environment that gave rise to CAPS and summarize the design of that first device. It will then discuss the market forces that led to the fall of CAPS, with sales of the device ending 2 years after commercialization. ⋯ Over $2 billion are spent annually for anesthesia services in routine endoscopic procedures for low-risk patients; a spending rate that is not sustainable. CAPS, in an 'anesthesia oversight' model similar to medical supervision, has a future as a cost-efficient means for anesthesia services to provide sedation in endoscopy and other nonoperating room venues. Anesthesiologists should work with medical device companies and payers to develop a CAPS 'anesthesia oversight' model.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Aug 2019
ReviewNonoperating room anesthesia education: preparing our residents for the future.
Nonoperating room anesthesia (NORA) is the fastest growing segment of anesthetic practice. This review provides an overview of knowledge and trends that will need to be introduced to residents as part of their education. ⋯ Implementing new medical technologies for anesthesia outside the operating room will help to successfully master this ever evolving subspecialty. Anesthesiologists require specific preparation for the diverse settings that they will encounter during their training. In this rapidly changing field, cognitive fitness must be factored into teaching and evaluation of residents. We describe the most important topics to consider when educating anesthesiology residents, and highlight research that addresses upcoming challenges.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Aug 2019
ReviewEfficiency and scheduling in the nonoperating room anesthesia suite: implications from patient satisfaction to increased revenue operating room: a common (Dollars and Sense) approach.
Although the NORA setting continues to outgrow the main operating room in cases, there are few studies addressing efficiency metrics, and even fewer studies addressing those of a single specialty outpatient gastroenterology facility. In order to capitalize on this growing trend, gastrointestinal endoscopies must be scheduled in a way that prevents lost potential revenue while maintaining patient convenience, comfort, safety, and satisfaction. By standardizing our scheduling for procedure block time among various endoscopists and converting our sedation practices from conscious sedation to solely Propofol sedation in a 4 : 1 CRNA to Anesthesiologist model, we increased revenue while maximizing physician efficiency and site utilization. ⋯ By adapting our sedation practices to solely Propofol sedation and by standardizing our procedural schedule times among all the endoscopists, we maximized the number of cases and revenue in our outpatient gastrointestinal endoscopy suite while increasing patient satisfaction through reduction in overall patient facility time and procedure to discharge time.