To the Editor: A recent editorial in ANESTHESIOLOGY, “Sleep Medicine and Anesthesia: A New Horizon for Anesthesiologists,” discussed the role anesthesiologists can play along with physicians from other specialties in the care of patients with sleep disorders. In addition, it noted the establishment of the Society of Anesthesia and Sleep Medicine, which is designed to promote discussion, educati...

Abstract Opioids are one of the effective forms analgesia for acute pain in perioperative period but, with overprescription, have become detrimental to public health. There has been a steady increase opioid consumption and number opioid-related deaths, U.S. government declared epidemic as health emergency. Anesthesiologists responsibility first exposure opioids was during majority cases. Acute ...

a t C r a t a R The Heart Rhythm Society (HRS)/American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Expert Consensus Statement on the Perioperative Management of Patients with Implantable Defibrillators, Pacemakers and Arrhythmia Monitors: Facilities and Patient Management This document was developed as a joint project with the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), and in collaboration with the A...

BACKGROUND Head-mounted displays (HMDs) can help anesthesiologists with intraoperative monitoring by keeping patients' vital signs within view at all times, even while the anesthesiologist is busy performing procedures or unable to see the monitor. The anesthesia literature suggests that there are advantages of HMD use, but research into head-up displays in the cockpit suggests that HMDs may ex...

Through the Life Cycle of Intraoperative Transesophageal Echocardiography (ETTI/SBA) the Brazilian Society of Anesthesiology, together with the Department of Cardiovascular Image of the Brazilian Society of Cardiology (DIC/SBC), createded a task force to standardize the use of intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography by Brazilian anesthesiologists and echocardiographers based on scientif...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Technological medical diagnosis advances in cardiology have markedly increased indications for temporary or permanent artificial cardiac pacemakers (PM). This means that, in addition to cardiologists, other specialists have become involved in the handling of these devices. When PM patients undergo surgery, anesthesiologists participation may be decisive for the success...

Several propofol infusion platforms have been devised to address the inherent safety problems associated with propofol administration. Patient-controlled and target-controlled infusion systems have been described in the literature, and the Sedasys closed-loop feedback system is in FDA review. No matter what the infusion platform, there are important safety concerns that should be addressed when...

P RACTICE Advisories are systematically developed reports that are intended to assist decision-making in areas of patient care. Advisories provide a synthesis and analysis of expert opinion, clinical feasibility data, open forum commentary, and consensus surveys. Practice Advisories developed by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) are not intended as standards, guidelines, or absolu...

THE ever-expanding role of anesthesiologists may soon include genetic counseling. Like other medical specialties, since the completion of the Human Genome Project, anesthesiologists have placed much research and commercial interest in the development of pharmacogenomics. The promise of personalized medicine tailored to each patient’s genetics has encouraged the exploration of various genes rela...

Sedation is required to treat an ever increasing number of patients for medical diagnostic or therapeutic procedures, in particular in gastrointestinal endoscopy. Due to the apparent ease of administration of sedative techniques, and due to the shortage of anesthetic staff in many Western countries, sedation is being carried out more and more frequently by non-anesthesiologist doctors or even p...