In the Literature
Keep up to date with the latest in patient safety with summaries of the best medical journal articles from the APSF Newsletter Editorial Board.
| Historical Perspective That Which Is Old Is New Again – APSF Newsletter “In the Literature” Synopsis Summaries Reappear Read the historical perspective of the APSF “In the Literature” section by John H. Eichhorn, MD. |
Summary published October 12, 2026
Medication errors are particularly common in the perioperative setting, where patients undergo multiple handoffs and transitions of care while sedated or anesthetized. Many studies of the nature and causes of…
Summary published October 5, 2026
Intraoperative anesthesia handovers (IAH) are common in longer and complex cases and are often used to accommodate work-hour regulations and shift-based staffing schedules. Transfer of patient care responsibilities between anesthesia…
Summary published September 21, 2026
Postoperative delirium (POD) is common in older surgical patients and is associated with adverse long-term outcomes, including functional impairment, dementia, and cognitive decline. Whether this association represents causation versus correlation…
Summary published August 31, 2026
Artificial intelligence (AI) systems, including large language models (LLMs) such as OpenAI’s GPT series and Meta’s Llama series, have gained currency in many fields, including anesthesiology. LLMs are trained on…
Summary published August 24, 2026
Cardiac surgery is associated with a high risk of mortality, particularly in complex or redo operations. During cardiopulmonary bypass, tissue perfusion and oxygenation are dependent on extracorporeal oxygenation systems (bypass…
Summary published July 20, 2026
Cognitive impairment is common in older surgical patients, affecting an estimated 37%–50% of this population. Despite its prevalence, cognitive impairment is frequently unrecognized and increases the risk of perioperative neurocognitive…
