Preventing inadvertent perioperative hypothermia, a complication that can cause a host of problems such as vasoconstriction, tissue hypoxia and an increased likelihood of...

How did you wind up in Ukraine providing medical services and training? I went over there as part of a non-governmental organization called Global Surgical and Medical Support Group (GSMSG),...

Injecting a nerve cluster with a local anesthetic can provide patients with days of pain relief following orthopedic, abdominal or spine surgery. Regional anesthesia means...

The most difficult airway is the unanticipated one. Those eight words of advice that Robert W. Simon, DNP, MS, CRNA, CHSE, CNE, heard repeatedly throughout his...

Mo Halawi, MD, grew up in Lebanon, where he remembers his grandmother receiving acetaminophen to manage her pain after a major surgery. When he began practicing...

Anesthesia providers often make everything look easy — perhaps too easy. When staff walk into an OR during a surgical case, it can appear like we’re not doing much at all. But anyone who has ever worked in this field will tell you...

About 45 minutes before surgery, Joseph Nessler, MD, will stop by pre-op to mark the correct surgical site of his total joint patients. He’ll say hello, note his initials where he intends to cut and ask if the patient has any last-minute questions....

Regional anesthesia has evolved into a game-changer for performing joint replacement procedures. The improved ability to block pain signals around the surgical area...

I have been a surgical nurse for more than 30 years and a patient numerous times. I’m fully aware, from both sides of the table, of the importance of safe surgical care. There are numerous factors that go into protecting...

If you asked your colleagues to define postoperative delirium and the symptoms to look out for, do you think they could answer you with confidence? Believe it or not, the condition is widely misdiagnosed because its symptoms...

The sweet spot for an adult’s core body temperature throughout the perioperative experience is 36.5°C to 37.5°C, but maintaining this safe temperature range can be a challenge — and a safety concern, according to...

Five or 10 years ago, a basic anesthesia machine was perfectly suitable in many outpatient ORs. Times have changed, however, as the differences between hospitals...

Patients who have their knees and hips replaced at Yale Medicine in New Haven, Conn., are ready to head home the day of surgery in large part because they’re given shots...

An 84-year-old patient came in for a vision-saving surgery at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, where Tom Durick, MD, works as an anesthesiologist and assistant professor. “He was blind...

Surgical professionals know opioids are not always the best way to control post-op pain, yet many still focus on using the drugs to help patients feel comfortable...

Postoperative pain pumps have become “smarter” over the years, enabling providers to better ensure patients get the right dosages of anesthetic medicine at the right times...

Here’s an alarming statistic that should give you pause: More than half of surgical patients report poor post-op pain control. Opioids aren’t the answer to this problem....

Patients who feel sick after surgery are less than happy with the care they received. They are also at an increased risk of suffering wound dehiscence, electrolyte...

Cryoanalgesia is emerging as a compelling option for managing the immense pain of total knee replacements. Its specific application for total knee pain management is...

Deftly placing a needle in a patient and injecting a local anesthetic near targeted nerves in the exact part of a body that needs to be numbed for a specific surgery requires...