Anesthesia Editor's Note In this experimental study from Australia, researchers investigate the effect of ventilator splitting on system variables (ie, inspiratory pressure, flow, and volume) and the possibility of different ventilation targets for each limb. Connecting two patients to the same ventilator presents many challenges: ventilation requirements are different for different…
Editor's Note Safe Flight Instrument Corporation (White Plains, New York), a company that develops aircraft safety and performance technology, has developed the Quad/Vent Splitter that allows four patients to use one ventilator simultaneously, the April 13 Aviation International News Online reports. Using 3-D printing, the device has four independent ports…
Editor's Note During the first 3 weeks of the COVID-19 outbreak in the Seattle area, the most common reasons for ICU admission were hypoxemic respiratory failure leading to mechanical ventilation and/or hypotension requiring vasopressor treatment, and mortality was high in these critically ill patients, this study finds. In this analysis…
Editor's Note Specialists like cardiac and orthopedic surgical teams as well as anesthesiologists and cardiologists are being redeployed in hospitals to help treat the rising number of COVID-19 patients, the March 30 Modern Healthcare reports. What used to be the heart team at Manhattan’s Mount Sinai Morningside is now a…
Editor's Note: The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on March 25 announced several actions it has taken in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These include: In response to the demand for hand sanitizers and their active ingredient, alcohol, the FDA issued guidance to alcohol manufacturers on how to incorporate…
Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons (ACS), Association of perioperative Registered Nurses (AORN), and the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) on March 24 released a joint statement regarding decision making on elective surgeries. The statement includes that: "A Surgical Review Committee, composed of surgery, anesthesiology, and nursing personnel is…
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on March 18 released recommendations that all elective surgeries and nonessential medical, surgical, and dental procedures be delayed during the COVID-19 outbreak. As more healthcare providers are asked to assist with the COVID-19 response, it is important that they consider…
Editor's Note In consultation with clinical experts and in response to government guidance that hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) postpone elective surgical procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) released a statement March 18 on how and when facilities should proceed with cases that should…
Editor's Note Of 41 healthcare workers who were exposed to aerosol-generating procedures for at least 10 minutes at a distance of 6.5 feet from a patient with severe pneumonia before he was diagnosed with COVID-19, none contracted the disease. The patient, a middle-aged man with diabetes and hyperlipidemia, was hospitalized…
Over the last 5 years, the perioperative surgical home (PSH) model has attracted increasing interest from OR directors, anesthesiologists, and surgeons. This team-based, patient-centered approach coordinates all phases of surgical care, from preoperative assessment through intraoperative care and postdischarge recovery. According to the American Society of Anesthesiologists, PSH initiatives have…
