Top 5 Anesthesia-related Stories of 2011
The end of the season brings family, food and a times of reflection. It has been a good year here at The Anesthesia Blog. A new design and with it, a slew of new readers. Thanks for all the positive feedback and suggestions. 2012 looks to be exciting as well with more snarky posts and some added features.
2011 was another ever so interesting year in the ever changing world of anesthesiology. With a little help from from my friends at SDN forums, I have compiled the top 5 anesthesia-related topics for 2011:
1) Conrad Murray- The unfortunate demise of the king of pop drew quite the attention of the popular press. The press zeroed in on anesthesia and propofol in particular. Quick summary in case you have been living under a rock: Dr Conrad Murray, a cardiologist, was hired by MJ to administer propofol and other sedatives to cure his insomnia. Dr Murray obliged for a large fee, went to the bathroom somewhere mid-bolus and returned to an apneic, lifeless king of pop. He was tried and convicted for manslaugther and is set serve four years in jail for his negligience.
The anesthesia community was involved in his testimony. Dr Shafer gave an excellent testimony about propofol use and abuse. Dr White, the defense’s expert gasman was held in contempt of court twice and was seen signing copies of his book on the courtroon steps. Sigh. There were many mentions of the trial by anesthesiologists in the popular press as well as this here blog. Hopefully now that the trial is over and done we can all move on and our patients will stop asking us “Are you gonna use the Michael Jackson drug on me?”.
2) BIS no better than ETAG- Perhaps that scratchy sticker isn’t as useful as some us thought.
3) Drug Shortages- many an anesthesia drug was in short supply in 2011. We began the year with a resolving propfol shortage after some QA issues in the manufacturing plants. Subsequently we saw shortages of fentanyl, neostigmine, succinylcholine, labetalol, rocuronium, bupivicaine,,,etc. Pretty much every class of anesthetic was affected in some way shape or from. Even the president of the United States took notice.
4) Anesthesiologist elected to Congress – Andy Harris, M.D. (R-MD), an obstetric anesthesiologist from Maryland, became the first anesthesiologist ever elected to the U.S. Congress, defeating freshmen incumbent Democratic Frank Kratovil (D-MD). Dr Harris was heavily supported by the ASA PAC as well as the ENT, Optho and Neurosurgical societies. Go ASA PAC!
5) Reform and The consolidation of private practice anesthesia. The corporations are coming! The corporations are coming! Whether it be a reaction to Obamacare or just the natural progression of the business of medicine, 2011 saw many a private anesthesia group sell their souls to the ilks of the publicly traded. The pendulum is indeed swinging.
Anything we missed? Comment below!
Image: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
