Neil Ratner, MD, has played remarkably divergent roles in his life, initially as a rock-and-roll drummer and staging entrepreneur, working with the likes of Edgar Winter and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. But he always had an interest in medicine, so eventually he ditched his successful rock career and went to medical school, later becoming an anesthesiologist who embraced the then-novel concept of delivering non-OR anesthesia, which he helped pioneer.   It was through his work as an anesthesiologist for a plastic surgeon that he ended up meeting Michael Jackson, of all people, who immediate ..read more

Over the past two years, Saddleback Hospital, in Laguna Hills, Calif., has implemented a robust ERAC (early recovery after cesarean) protocol that includes a transversus abdominis plane block with liposomal bupivacaine for post-op cesarean delivery pain. Results have shown that the protocol has reduced the use of narcotics for the post-op period by 80%, and has improved the overall satisfaction with the post-op period considerably by reducing nausea and vomiting, itching, and constipation. In addition, hospital length of stay has been reduced by one day.   According to Steve Garber, MD, a ..read more

In the previous chapters of “Anesthesiology News Presents The Etherist,” we defined just what physician well-being is, when it came to light and why the concept needs to be addressed at institutional and systemwide levels. We also explored managing the cognitive workload during residency, the stress of working during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the unexpected toll that burnout can leave behind.   And now, for the final episode of the series, various experts share their thoughts on how to best recognize and manage burnout, as well as how to strive for an optimal work‒life balance. These are ..read more

The season premiere of Anesthesiology News presents The Etherist featured Dr. Amy Vinson, the chair of the American Society of Anesthesiologists Committee on Physician Well-Being. Among many other things, she explained why physician well-being needs to be addressed at an institutional and systemwide level. In this episode, we delve deeper into working during the COVID-19 pandemic, the unexpected toll burnout can leave behind and why being mindful of it is paramount. Join us as we talk with several anesthesiologists who’ve taken a hard look at the problem.   Additionally, stay tuned for ep ..read more

In this episode of “Ask the Experts,” we talk with Navin Goyal, MD, a co-founder of OFFOR Health, and Saket Agrawal, the CEO of OFFOR Health, about their company’s success in building a mobile anesthesia service aimed at providing office-based anesthesia for dental procedures. Goyal is an anesthesiologist from Columbus, Ohio. He started OFFOR Health to address the problems with patient access to anesthesia care in his community. Agrawal, who is also a Columbus native, spent 10 years working in Silicon Valley gaining experience in building startup-style companies. Goyal and Agrawal now run OFFO ..read more

In this episode of “On the Case,” James Prudden interviews Elizabeth A.M. Frost, MD, about some of this most unique and memorable cases of her career. Frost was the original clinical editor of The Frost Series, which bears her name in honor of her contributions to the art of the case study. And she will be the guest editor of the series again in the May and June issues. In preparation for her return to editing the series, Prudden, our editorial director, caught up with Frost to discuss some of the highlights of her career in treating and writing about unusual cases. “On the Case” is an intervi ..read more

In this episode, we turn our focus to the present to see how recent research could be used to shape the future of anesthesiology. In previous episodes, we reviewed how the pioneers of anesthesia were able to successfully use ether and chloroform without the full knowledge of those drugs that we have today. In that spirit, we explore whether there is untapped potential in our current scientific expertise that could help improve the delivery of modern-day anesthesia. This season of the podcast began with the retelling of the origin story of anesthesia use. We revisited the classic tale of Ether ..read more

In this episode, we turn our focus to the present to see how recent research could be used to shape the future of anesthesiology. In previous episodes, we reviewed how the pioneers of anesthesia were able to successfully use ether and chloroform without the full knowledge of those drugs that we have today. In that spirit, we explore whether there is untapped potential in our current scientific expertise that could help improve the delivery of modern-day anesthesia. This season of the podcast began with the retelling of the origin story of anesthesia use. We revisited the classic tale of Ether ..read more

In the previous episodes, we relived the incredible achievements of the discoverers of anesthesia in Davy, Morton, Simpson and Long. But another individual may be just as important to the progress of the specialty as those who discovered it. John Snow was a doctor and scientist in London when he first witnessed a demonstration of ether anesthesia. Even though he was not credited with the discovery of ether or chloroform, he became a leader in the advancement of modern medicine in England. In fact, it was Snow’s forward-thinking mentality that laid the foundation for the spirit of the specialty ..read more

The discovery of chloroform was closely intertwined with ether anesthesia because of the relative closeness of their discoveries, but it did not take long for the early pioneers of anesthesia use to understand the enormous difference between the two anesthetic agents. From October 1846 to November 1847, anesthesia providers used ether to ease pain in surgery and it might have seemed as if a golden age in medicine was just beginning, but tragedy would eventually strike the growing specialty of anesthesiology. Hannah Greener’s experience with the use of chloroform anesthesia as a patient would m ..read more