In the past two decades, the United States has witnessed a marked increase in the use and abuse of prescription and illicit opioids.1 The annual number of deaths by overdose involving opioids has nearly quadrupled since 2000.2 In 2015, more than two million people in the United States were addicted to prescription opioids, and more… Continue reading Anesthesiology in the Opioid Epidemic

To provide high-quality anesthesia care, a clinician must account for the patient’s full health history and current medical condition. Oftentimes, patients undergoing surgery have extensive chronic or acute health problems that interfere with their cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, hepatic or circulatory systems.1 These issues make anesthesia administration complex and can lead to life-threatening perioperative anesthesia-related complications.2… Continue reading Anesthesia for Patients with Neurologic Disorders

Anesthesia monitoring devices are used during surgery to track patient vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure, breathing pattern and movement.1 These devices play an important role during surgery, as they allow clinicians to monitor patients and reduce the risk of mishap.2 Companies that produce these monitoring devices compete to supply hospitals and health… Continue reading Trends in the Anesthesia Monitoring Devices Market

Methadone is a synthetic opioid analgesic used as a maintenance drug in those with opioid use disorder (OUD) and increasingly for cancer or chronic non-malignant pain.1 Methadone was first created in 1937 by two German scientists, Max Bockmhl and Gustav Ehrhart, who were searching for a pain killer that was less addictive than morphine.2 At… Continue reading Methadone: Biological Mechanisms, Clinical Uses and Side Effects

The Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) is one of two tracks under the Quality Payment Program (QPP), which moves Medicare Part B providers to a performance-based payment system (1). MIPS was designed to tie payments to quality and cost efficient care, drive improvement in care processes and health outcomes, increase the use of healthcare information,… Continue reading Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)

Healthcare institutions and practitioners are in the business of changing and saving lives. Anesthesia services must operate to support this endeavor. In a conventional hospital setting, anesthesiologists and anesthesia staff are employed directly by the hospital and are assigned to operating rooms, serving patients who are admitted to that hospital at ports of entry. However,… Continue reading Mergers and Acquisitions of Anesthesia Groups

Maggie S. Chen Methadone (also known as Dolophine), is a synthetic opioid that is commonly used during cases of opioid dependence as well as for other chronic pain therapy. Developed in the late 1930s in Germany, it was approved for usage in the US in 1947. Since then, methadone quickly became the analgesic drug of… Continue reading Methadone: Biological Mechanisms, Surgical Applications, and Side Effects

Maggie S. Chen The onset of the technological revolution has changed the way healthcare is practiced. Robotic surgery became popular as healthcare professionals moved toward more minimally invasive surgical techniques. These techniques, along with the technological innovations associated with them, led to benefits such as reduced wound access trauma, shorter hospital stay, improved visualization, less… Continue reading The Evolution of Robotic Anesthesia

Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a condition in which the force of blood against artery walls is higher than expected.1 If it remains untreated, chronic hypertension can cause damage to the blood vessels and heart, ultimately leading to health problems such as heart attack and stroke.1 Like many other disorders, hypertension can… Continue reading Hypertension and Anesthesia Risks