December 2004

Varied Stimulus May Combat Boredom, Increase Awareness

December 10, 2004

To the Editor From the vantage point of the sharp end of the anesthetic care needle, the recent opinion letter from Drs. Monk and Giesecke generates a number of thoughts....

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Perception May Be Problem Separate From Vigilance

December 10, 2004

To the Editor Regarding the article “Reading in the OR” in the Fall 2004 issue, have the authors considered that, under appropriate circumstances, reading might actually improve vigilance in the...

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Reader Calls For Professionalism

December 10, 2004

To the Editor After reading the letter concerning the surgeon patient I felt like I would have PONV for him. That was a case of non-professionalism. I know that we...

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Surgeon’s Experience Is Not An Isolated Case

December 10, 2004

To the Editor I noted with great interest the letter from the anonymous surgeon/patient about his poor experience with “anesthesia providers” and his appeal for “professionalism.” I wish this were...

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Surgeon’s Experience is Part of Broader Problem

December 10, 2004

I am heartsick about the surgeon’s perioperative experience recounted in the summer 2004 issue of the APSF Newsletter. I take him at his word that he considers anesthesia a team...

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Clinician Recognizes Importance of Machine Checkout

December 10, 2004

I am an anesthesiologist in practice in Santa Barbara, CA. The issue I am concerned with involves both organization and anesthesia machines. We put into service 18 months ago 15...

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Medical Error Prevention Exhibit Earns E.C. Pierce, Jr., MD, Award

December 10, 2004

2004 E.C. Pierce, Jr., MD, Award Recipient Dr. Shamsolkottabi is pictured with committee members Susan L. Polk, MD, MSEd; R. Scott Jones, MD; Deborah Lawson, and Alan M. Harvey, MD,...

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Grant Program

December 10, 2004

Guidelines for Grant Applications Scheduled to Begin on January 1, 2006 The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) Grant Program supports research directed toward enhancing anesthesia patient safety. Its major objective...

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Closed Claims Project Focuses on 3 Decades of Obstetric Complications

December 10, 2004

Obstetric Claims Summarized Over Time Providing anesthesia to the obstetrical patient is a clinical challenge, due to both maternal physiologic changes as well as neonatal concerns. As the U.S. population...

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APSF Booth Features Closed Claims Analysis of Central Line Injuries

December 10, 2004

A closed claims analysis of injuries and liability related to central venous catheters was presented at the APSF/ASA booth during the October 2004 ASA meeting. The presentation was based on...

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APSF Awards 4 Grants

December 10, 2004

The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) is pleased to report that it continues to attract outstanding applications for funding. The scope of research areas continues to evolve, and this year...

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Guidelines Published for Determining Anesthesia Machine Obsolescence

December 10, 2004

(Reprinted with permission from the American Society of Anesthesiologists, Inc. ASA Newsletter, September 2004, Volume 68, issue 9.) The Committee on Equipment and Facilities has developed guidelines for determining if...

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Abstracts on Patient Safety Presented at the 2004 American Society of Anesthesiologists Annual Meeting

December 10, 2004

Over 1,600 abstracts were presented at the 2004 American Society of Anesthesiologist Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, NV. As in previous years, a number of these abstracts examined issues directly...

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Turn Your Alarms On!

December 10, 2004

With the advent of sophisticated anesthesia machines incorporating comprehensive monitoring, it is easy to forget that serious anesthesia mishaps still can and do occur. When patients sustain brain damage or...

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President Reports on State of APSF

December 10, 2004

As President of the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF), it is my privilege to report annually on the activities of the foundation during the past calendar year. I am pleased...

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APSF Workshop Recommends New Standards

December 10, 2004

“When the pulse oximeter is utilized, the variable pitch pulse tone and the low threshold alarm must be audible. When capnography is utilized, a capnograph alarm for hypoventilation must give...

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September 2004

GrafikPharm: Viewing the APSF From An Outside Perspective

September 10, 2004

To the Editor Our graphic design company has been working on the APSF Newsletter since the Winter Issue of 1998. We design the electronic layout, prep the photos and files...

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Etiology of Hypoxemia Often Overlooked

September 10, 2004

To the Editor I was struck by a seeming dichotomy in two sections of the Winter 2003-04 APSF Newsletter, the columns on postoperative hypoxemia vs. the current HRO initiatives. To...

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Reader Extremely Tired of Fatigue

September 10, 2004

To the Editor It has always perturbed me that for the 20 years I’ve been a practicing anesthesiologist not once have I seen guidelines for work hours for anesthesia providers....

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Woodward Maneuver Advocated For Treatment of Cardiac Arrest

September 10, 2004

To the Editor Cardiac arrest during spinal anesthesia with the resultant severe to lethal neurologic injury was highlighted by Caplan in his 1988 review of closed malpractice insurance claims.1 Preemptive...

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