Current opinion in anaesthesiology
-
Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Dec 2009
ReviewPreoperative screening and risk assessment in the ambulatory surgery patient.
With the rapid increase in the number of sicker patients with multiple co-morbidities and extremes of age who are undergoing ambulatory surgery, a thorough and detailed preoperative workup has become increasingly important. Case cancellation on the morning of surgery should be an exception. Therefore, much attention is focused on the optimization of the sicker patients. Although the anesthesiologist plays a central role in the preoperative assessment, a multidisciplinary approach is critical. This review was done to provide the reader with current trends and practices in preoperative assessment of the ambulatory surgical patient. ⋯ Risk management involves the identification of the patient at risk, optimization of preoperative health status, risk reduction through medical intervention as well as appropriate perioperative care. Thus, patient outcome can be improved, specifically for the sicker patients at a higher risk.
-
The focus of intraoperative monitoring is moving away from invasive monitoring. This has been attributed to procedure time, cost, and the known risks, which include carotid artery puncture, arrhythmia, pneumothorax, and infection. Until recently, the venous system's contribution to the circulatory system has been incorrectly identified as being insignificant. This article summarizes the unique characteristics of the peripheral venous system. ⋯ The veins play a critical role in cardiovascular homeostasis; they do more than conduct blood to the heart. Considering the ease of measurement from a peripheral intravenous catheter, further study should be conducted to investigate the usefulness and limitations of such a minimally invasive and inexpensive monitoring device.
-
We outline and discuss recent work on auditory displays, covering both auditory alarms that indicate technical or physiological threshold levels and informative auditory displays that provide a continuous awareness of a patient's well being. ⋯ Auditory display in anesthesia can extend well beyond auditory alarms to displays that give the anesthesiologist a continuous peripheral awareness of patient well being. Much more rigorous approaches should be taken to evaluating auditory displays so they add information rather than noise.
-
Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Dec 2009
ReviewAnaesthesia for the patient with dementia undergoing outpatient surgery.
Dementia is common in elderly patients, and anaesthesiologists are increasingly challenged in managing these patients who are especially vulnerable. The aim of this article is to highlight some of the most important perioperative issues relating to demented patients, both regarding anaesthesia and other aspects that should be considered to ensure a quick and uncomplicated recovery. ⋯ Outpatient surgery for demented patients causes many concerns in relation to anaesthesia. Extensive drug-related problems may arise and restrictive drug usage is recommended to avoid serious complications.
-
This review is designed to evaluate various aspects of the teaching, demonstration and assessment of competence in anesthesiology. ⋯ The traditional evaluation of clinical competence in anesthesiology has focused on written examinations and global evaluation of skill. Limits to this approach have become obvious. Assessment has evolved to specific competencies with performance and behavior-based standards and criteria for mastery of each competency. As standards for competency are better understood, multimedia tools, such as simulation and electronic portfolio, will further advance this evolution.