Anesthesiology Commons^™

Anesthetic Considerations In Geriatric Oncological Patients: A Case Series, Allison Chen, Edward H. Tsai

Summer Research Program Abstracts

No abstract provided.

Beyond The Airway, Volume 2, Issue 1, 2024-2025

Beyond the Airway

Table of Contents

1 - Foreword by Dr. Eric Schwenk

2 - Foreword by Bhavana Thota

3 - Interview with Dr. Jaime Baratta

5 - FAER MSARF Summer Research Fellowship

8 - Interview with Dr. Natasha Sinai-Hede

11 - Sugammadex vs. Neostigmine/Glycopyrrolate

14 - Interview with Dr. Angelica Pinninti

16 - Women in Anesthesiology

20 - Editorial Staff

Airway Management During Emergent Laparotomy In A Patient With Subglottic Stenosis And Unilateral True Vocal Cord Paralysis: A Case Report., Rayyan Bhutta, Ali Osman, Connor Henn, Hameed H Salah, Samir Patel

Surgery Articles

This case report describes the airway course of a 52-year-old male who required emergent exploratory laparotomy for suspected gastrointestinal perforation. The patient had underlying subglottic stenosis and unilateral vocal cord paralysis, as well as a history of significant cardiopulmonary disease. Attempts at intubation using standard tube sizes were unsuccessful. A 6.0 endotracheal tube was eventually passed beyond a point of resistance, allowing the operation to proceed. He remained intubated after surgery and was successfully extubated several days later. The report emphasizes the need for adaptable airway plans and highlights the constraints that may arise during urgent operative care.

Carbon Footprint Of Inhaled Anesthetics – Do The Risks Outweigh The Benefits?, Liam Kerrick, Joseph Moschella

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Global warming presents many challenges to the healthcare system. Not only does the increasing global temperature have detrimental health effects itself, but the healthcare sector is also a huge contributor to global warming. One big contributor to global warming is the use of inhaled anesthetics, which possess global warming potentials up to 2,000 times greater than carbon dioxide. Recent proposals, such as a prospective ban of desflurane in 2026 by the European Commission, demonstrate the need to reevaluate many of the common practices within anesthesiology. This review looks to investigate the environmental impact, cost, and clinical efficacy of various anesthetic …

A Case Of A Massive Right Atrial Thrombus Removal Under Transesophageal Echocardiographic Guidance, Justin Phillips, Max Kabolowsky, Alex M. Hendon, Samantha Arzillo

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background

With the advent of catheter guided interventions, practitioners have added another tool alongside chemical lysis and surgical removal to reduce the clot burden of patients with large emboli and thrombi. Due to comorbid conditions, many patients are poor candidates for surgical or chemical clot treatment but may present optimally for catheter-based thromboembolectomy. In this case, we highlight the benefits of mechanical thrombectomy with transesophageal echocardiographic guidance to reduce the clot burden of a patient who would otherwise be considered a poor candidate for surgical or chemical treatment.

Case Presentation

This case follows a 78-year-old man with a past medical …

Evaluation Of Pain Control In Lobectomies: Before And After The Removal Of Liposomal Bupivacaine From Formulary At An Academic Health System, Kelly Cheng Pharmd, Michael Guerra Pharmd, Rebecca Pulk Pharmd, Ms, Bsp, Amber Zaniewski Pharmd, Mba, Bcps, Ryan Brown Pharmd, Bcps

Posters

• Liposomal bupivacaine is an extended-release formulation of the long-acting traditional local anesthetic, bupivacaine.
• Yale New Haven Health system (YNHHS) removed liposomal bupivacaine from formulary in March 2024.
• This decision was based on primary research and meta-analyses showing little to no clinical or statistical benefit of liposomal bupivacaine over traditional bupivacaine in morphine milligram equivalent use (MME) and median pain score in all surgeries including lobectomies.

Beyond The Airway, Volume 1, Issue 1, May 2024

Beyond the Airway

Table of Contents

3 - Foreword from the Editors-In-Chief

4 - A message from Dr. Eric S. Schwenk

5 - An Interview with Dr. Rishi Kothari

7 - Anesthesia Considerations for Patients on Semaglutide

9 - An Interview with Dr. Jeffrey Mojica

11 - The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Match: Is Anesthesiology Becoming More Competitive?

13 - An Interview with Dr. Katherine Dillon and Dr. Matteo Petrera

15 - History of Ketamine in Anesthesia

17 - Editorial Staff

A Case Report And Review On The Anesthetic Considerations Of Anterior Mediastinal Masses, Carter A. Schulz, Joshua D. Mohs, Andrew M. Reuter

Aesculapius Journal (Health Sciences & Medicine)

Case summary: A 15-year-old female presented with chest pain, dyspnea, and weight loss. A chest X-ray and subsequent CT scan revealed a large anterior mediastinal mass with cervical lymphadenopathy and pericardial effusion. Two biopsies under general anesthesia were performed, with the latter confirming classic Hodgkin lymphoma, nodular sclerosis subtype.

Discussion: This case underscores the significant clinical challenges posed by anterior mediastinal masses due to their proximity to vital cardiovascular and respiratory structures. Physiologic changes during general anesthesia can exacerbate these challenges. Preoperative assessment, including imaging and symptom evaluation, is crucial to guide operative planning. It is key to individualize the …

Risk Factors Associated With Platelet Transfusions In Patients Undergoing Atrial Septal Defect And Ventricular Septal Defect Repair, Louis Do, Maxwell James, Matt Lilien, Katie Liu, Laura Downey

Research Day

Introduction:

Pediatric patients often require platelet transfusions after cardiac surgery to treat cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) induced platelet dysfunction.1 While platelet transfusions are often necessary to treat post-CPB coagulopathy, they have the highest rate of adverse events of blood component therapy in pediatric patients.2 Therefore, we sought to identify perioperative risk factors for platelet transfusions in pediatric patients undergoing atrial septal (ASD) and ventricular septal defect (VSD) repairs in order to identify modifiable factors that may aid in decreasing unnecessary transfusions at our institution.

Methods:

In this retrospective study, we analyzed the Society of Thoracic Surgeon’s Congenital Heart Surgery Database of …

The Effect Of A Magnetic Resonance Imaging Sedation Protocol On Increasing Sedation Related Adverse Event Reporting Frequency And Anesthesia Utilization In The Henry Ford Health System, Bohdan Matsko, Mousab Eteer Md, Khalid Eteer Md, Muhammad Ibrahim Md

Medical Student Research Symposium

INTRODUCTION: Procedural sedation is intended to help patients minimize body movement and successfully complete an MRI scan. Although MRI sedation is becoming increasingly more common, it is associated with complications. There has been anecdotal evidence of MRI sedation adverse events occurring at relatively high frequency at HFHS in the past, although such events often went unreported. The study aim is to address this rising concern by instituting a protocol system that also intends to increase the reporting of MRI sedation adverse events.

METHODS: This Quality improvement (QI) project is established based on the Lean Six Sigma process improvement methodology. The …

The Effect Of Anesthetic Drugs During Craniotomy On Patient Outcomes, Thomas Vander Woude, Timothy Nold, Katherine Nowak, Donald Penning

Medical Student Research Symposium

Glioblastoma remains an aggressive, highly malignant brain cancer with poor prognosis despite treatment options including surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. The objective of this retrospective chart review study was to evaluate if there is a correlation between the type and dose of anesthetic drugs administered during craniotomy surgery for glioblastoma and the time to first postoperative tumor progression and mortality. Based on preliminary data in mice, it was hypothesized that the use of propofol during surgery is associated with slower tumor progression and lower mortality, when compared with other anesthetic drugs. In the observed time frame, 133 patients were diagnosed with …

Senior Academic Ranks In Us Anesthesiology Programs: Differences Between Women And Men And Examination Of Independent Factors For Success, Brenda Lee, Farhad Zahedi, Ina Zaimi, Roman Schumann

Journal of Maine Medical Center

Introduction: Gender equality among faculty is a challenge in academic medicine, including anesthesiology. We investigated the likelihood that several factors were associated with academic success in the United States (US), defined as having achieved a senior academic rank (SAR) in a US anesthesiology training program.

Methods: We collected data available on the Internet on 131 anesthesiology programs, including faculty academic rank, gender, number of faculty, graduate status from an American medical school, fellowship training status, number of residents, number of program fellowships, and geographic location. SAR was defined as either associate professor or professor. Data were analyzed with logistic regression. …

What Factors Predict An Anesthesiologist’S Willingness To Proceed With An Anesthetic?, Nadine K. Ragbir

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Anesthesiologists are exposed to higher stress levels than many other physician specialties. They are also at an increased risk for developing mental disorders, alcohol and drug dependencies, sleep disturbances, and suicidal ideations. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation was to explore the factors that predict an anesthesiologist’s willingness to proceed with an anesthetic. The current study consisted of two stages. The first stage was developing a regression equation that was used to predict anesthesiologists’ willingness to proceed with an anesthetic. During the second stage, additional data was collected to test the model that was developed in the first stage. Six …

A Randomized Trial Of Manual Phone Calls Versus Automated Text Messages For Peripheral Nerve Block Follow-Ups., Gavyn Ooi, Eric S. Schwenk, Marc C. Torjman, Kent Berg

Department of Anesthesiology Faculty Papers

Mobile phone applications (apps) have been used for patient follow-up in the postoperative period, specifically to assess for complications and patient satisfaction. Few studies have evaluated their use in regional anesthesia. The objective of this study was to compare follow-up response rates using manual phone calls versus an automated patient outreach (APO) app for peripheral nerve block patients. We hypothesized that the response rate would be higher in the APO group. A mobile app, "JeffAnesthesia," was developed, which sends notifications to patients to answer survey questions in the app. We randomly assigned patients who received peripheral nerve blocks for postoperative …

Assessment And Management Of Adult Preoperative Anxiety: A Survey Of The Anesthesiologist Perspective, Arif Musa, Jeffrey C. Wang, Rana Movahedi, David Safani, Christopher Cooke, Syed F. Hussain, Jahan Tajran, Shafi Hamid, Gligor Gucev

Medical Student Research Symposium

Introduction: Preoperative anxiety often goes unaccounted for in the surgical setting. Given that anesthesiologists are routinely involved in perioperative care, this study was performed to assess anesthesiologists’ views of adult preoperative anxiety assessment and management. Methods: Active members of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) were sent an online questionnaire. Survey items included demographic information in addition to questions about measurement of preoperative anxiety, management of anxiety, and which entities were allocated responsibility to reduce patient anxiety. Data were collected from February to March 2019. Results: Of 3,661 respondents, most asked their patients about preoperative anxiety (n=2332, …

Leading Well: Anesthesiology Program Directors As Servant Leaders And Their Development Of Resident Wellness Programs, Amy Noel Dilorenzo

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Anesthesiology residents are at significant risk of developing serious issues during training including burnout, depression, and substance abuse. Recent accreditation requirements mandate that these well-being issues be addressed by residency training programs. Program directors, as the leaders of residency programs, are charged with protecting the wellness of residents and leading wellness initiatives. The program director role can be well-described in a servant leadership construct because they are charged with caring for the individual needs of their residents.

This dissertation is a report of a mixed-methods study that explores anesthesiology program directors’ self-perceptions as servant leaders and their efforts to lead …

Three Cases Of Covid-19 Pneumonia That Responded To Icosapent Ethyl Supportive Treatment, Winston Suh, Ivan Urits, Omar Viswanath, Alan D. Kaye, Haresh Patel, Wade Hall, Jonathan P. Eskander

Ellmer School of Nursing Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND Icosapent ethyl, a form of eicosapentaenoic acid with anti-inflammatory activity, has been approved as an adjunctive treatment with statins in patients with hypertriglyceridemia. Icosapent ethyl is currently undergoing clinical trials to determine its anti-inflammatory effects in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This report describes 3 intensive care unit (ICU) patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 pneumonia treated with icosapent ethyl as part of their supportive care who had favorable outcomes.

CASE REPORT Case 1 was a 75-year-old man with a past medical history of hyperlipidemia, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, and benign prostatic hyperplasia. Case 2 was …

A Case Of Cannot Intubate, Cannot Ventilate, Evan Davidson Md, Su Min Oon

Anesthesiology

69M with a PMH of parotid gland carcinoma status post resection and radiation therapy with extensive reconstruction, G-tube placement, COPD, multiple tracheostomies with takedowns (with refusal permanent tracheostomy over objections of family members) presented for CTR and ulnar tunnel exploration. With plans of MAC, an axillary block was placed and maintained on minimal propofol infusion. After administration of 50 mcg fentanyl due to pain, he was noted to be apnic. Ventilation via mask and #3 LMA failed, as well as placement of an 6 mm ET tube. Eventually, patient was ventilated via emergency surgical cricothyroidotomy. He was discharged on POD4.

Teaching An Old Pain Medicine Society New Tweets: Integrating Social Media Into Continuing Medical Education., Kellie M Jaremko, Eric S Schwenk, Amy C S Pearson, Jonathan Hagedorn, Ankeet D Udani, Gary Schwartz, Nabil M Elkassabany, Anne Snively, Edward R Mariano

Department of Anesthesiology Faculty Papers

No abstract.

Correlation Of Trainees' Selection Scores With Their Subsequent Performance During Specialty Training In Anesthesiology, Aliya Ahmed, Rashida Ahmed

Department of Anaesthesia

Objective: To determine the correlation of trainee selection scores (TSS) with subsequent performance in anesthesiology trainees at a university hospital.
Study Design: Descriptive analytical study.
Place and Duration of Study: The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from August 2016 to January 2017.
Methodology: Data were collected on 44 anesthesiology trainees completing their training between 2009 and 2015. TSS consisted of entrance test, final-year medical school scores, and interviews. Assessment included written tests, viva voce, and clinical assessment. Non-parametric Spearman rank correlation coefficient was computed to assess the relationship between scores.
Results: Weak correlation was found between TSS and overall assessment …

Systemic-To-Pulmonary Artery Pressure Ratio As A Predictor Of Patient Outcome Following Liver Transplantation, Annette Rebel, Dung Nguyen, Brooke Bauer, Paul A. Sloan, Amy Dilorenzo, Zaki-Udin Hassan

Anesthesiology Faculty Publications

AIM To assess the value of the mean systemic-to-pulmonary artery pressure (MAP/mPAP) ratio for predicting outcomes following orthotopic liver transplant (OLT).

METHODS A retrospective data analysis was performed and data (mean arterial blood pressure, mean pulmonary artery pressure and Cardiac Index) were collected at several points during OLT. Outcomes evaluated were duration of postoperative endotracheal intubation [ET; minutes after intensive care unit (ICU) arrival], length of ICU stay, total hospitalization and frequency of immediate postoperative complications. A total of 91 patients were included in the data analysis. Based on the intraoperative course of the MAP/mPAP ratio, 2 hemodynamic responses were …

Certain General Anesthetics Used In Pediatrics Hinder Neurological Development In Infants, Michael R. Hirschi

Selected Honors Theses

General anesthetics act by either blocking N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors or over stimulating γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors.^1–3 The actions of these receptors are responsible for the anesthetized state and are also crucial in the neurological development of infants.^2,4–8 Animal studies, although limited, provide vital information about general anesthesia’s neurotoxicity its hindrance of neurological development. Exposure to general anesthesia can severely hinder proper neuronal migration, synaptogenesis, and can drastically increase neuronal apoptosis in infant animals.^9–16 General anesthetics are more neurotoxic to infant animals in combination compared to individually.^10,16,17 Additionally, multiple exposures to general anesthesia tend to have compounding …

Root Causes Of Intraoperative Hypoglycemia: A Case Series., Eric S. Schwenk, Boris Mraovic, Ryan P. Maxwell, Gina S. Kim, Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, Richard H. Epstein

Department of Anesthesiology Faculty Papers

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To describe the root causes of intraoperative hypoglycemic events.

DESIGN: Retrospective analysis.

SETTING: Large academic teaching hospital.

MEASUREMENTS: Data from 80,379 ASA physical status 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 surgical patients were reviewed. Blood glucose values, insulin, oral hypoglycemic medication doses, and doses of glucose or other medications for hypoglycemia treatment were recorded.

MAIN RESULTS: Hypoglycemia in many patients had multiple etiologies, with many cases (8 of 17) involving preventable errors. The most common root causes of hypoglycemia were ineffective communication, circulatory shock, failure to monitor, and excessive insulin administration.

CONCLUSION: Intraoperative hypoglycemia was rare, but often …

High Inspired Co2 Capnograph Reading Due To Misplaced End Tidal Co2 Sampling Port, Andrew Ng, Md, Elia Elia, Md, Lisa Luyun, Md

Department of Anesthesiology Faculty Papers

In conclusion, if abnormal capnography is seen where the baseline inspiratory CO2 is higher than usual, inspect the circuit for rebreathing and consider examining the position of ETCO2 sampling port. We recommend confirming ETCO2 sampling port is connected immediately distal to Y-piece before starting a case for accurate CO2 measurement.

Electroconvulsive Therapy For A Patient With A Penetrating Ulcer In The Aortic Arch, Andrew Ng, Md, George Hsu, Md, Zvi Grunwald, Md

Department of Anesthesiology Faculty Papers

Case: An 85 year-old male presented with major depressive disorder refractory to medical therapy. A series of eight electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) was planned. Past medical history includes a small penetrating ulcer in the aortic arch, an ascending aortic aneurysm measuring 4.3 x 4.4 cm, atrial fibrillation on anticoagulation and hypertension. Medications include metoprolol, coumadin, simvastatin, alprazolam and venlafaxine.

Intraoperative Point-Of-Care Blood Glucose Values Show Poor Agreement With Central Lab Blood Values, Eric Schwenk, Md, Richard H. Epstein, Md, Cphims, Boris Mraovic, Md

Department of Anesthesiology Faculty Papers

Introduction:

Accuracy of point-of-care (POC) glucose devices compared to central lab values in critically ill patients has come into question, particularly during intensive insulin therapy.

POC devices perform particularly poorly in the hypoglycemic range.

Typically tested under ideal conditions in the lab; intraoperative, real-life data are lacking.

Liver Transplantation In The Face Of Severe Electrolyte Abnormalities: A Discussion Of Management Techniques, Vincent Franze, Md, Rosalba Spiritoso, Md, Elia Elia, Md, Yoogoo Kang, Md

Department of Anesthesiology Faculty Papers

Introduction:

Electrolytes disorders are a common finding in patients with End stage liver disease (ESLD). Liver transplantation (OLT) is frequently associated with massive transfusion and fluid shifts in patients with renal dysfunction, and management of hyponatremla, hyperkalemia and hypervolemia are major concerns for anesthesiologists. This case describes a multimodal approach in treatment of combined severe hyponatremla, hperkalemia and hypervolemia.

Intraoperative Insulin Administration And Hypoglycemia In Diabetic Patients, Eric Schwenk, Md, Richard H. Epstein, Md, Cphims, Boris Mraovic

Department of Anesthesiology Faculty Papers

Introduction:

Although studies are conflicting as to the benefit of intensive insulin therapy (IIT) in the critically ill, there is a 6x increase in hypoglycemia incidence in patients treated with IIT.

Anesthesia masks signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia, making intraop hypoglycemia difficult to detect clinically.

We performed this retrospective, observational analysis to:

Determine the incidence of intraoperative hypoglycemia and severe hypoglycemia

Evaluate possible causes of hypoglycemia

Determine intraop monitoring and treatment practices of diabetic patients at a large academic hospital

Clinical Accuracy Of A Hospital Point-Of-Care Glucose Meter, Brian R. Hipszer, Phd, Jennifer B. Lessin, Rn, Kathleen O'Malley, Rn, Zvi Grunwald, Md, Jeffrey I. Joseph, D.O.

Department of Anesthesiology Faculty Papers

Summary: Glucose meter performance was evaluated against the ISO 15197 guidelines in 221 time-matched venous and capillary blood samples. Accuracy decreased when the source of the reference and meter blood samples was not the same.

The Accuracy Of Nitrous Oxide Passive Dosimeters As Compared With An Infra-Red Spectrographic Reference Method, Susan Allen

Community & Environmental Health Theses & Dissertations

Nitrous oxide is a gas often used in dental, surgical and veterinary operations as an anesthetic agent. Employees stationed in proximity of fugitive gas emissions may potentially suffer adverse health effects from chronic exposure to this agent. Passive dosimeters can be worn in the breathing zone of potentially affected personnel during exposure periods, then later analyzed to quantify nitrous oxide exposure. This study sought to establish the accuracy of several commercially available passive monitoring devices for nitrous oxide by comparison against an infra-red spectrophotometric reference method.