THE SURGEONS' Lounge
******************
They Said It "We had no idea that the hand sanitizer and hand soaps in the dispensers had expiration dates. Our accreditation surveyor obviously knew this and went straight to the dispenser, opened it and found several that had expired. Who knew?"
— Debby Augst,
RNFA, CNOR,
nurse manager of the Limestone Surgery Center in Gainesville, Ga., on strange
accreditation dings.
******************
WHY BOTHER?
5 Anesthesia Tests to Avoid
Here are 5 specific tests or procedures commonly performed in anesthesiology that may not be necessary and, in some cases should be avoided, according to a June 16 online report in JAMA Internal Medicine.
1. baseline lab tests in healthy patients without significant system disease.
2. baseline cardiac diagnostic and stress testing in asymptomatic, stable patients with no cardiac disease.
3. routine use of pulmonary artery catheter in low-risk cardiac surgery patients.
4. administration of blood in young, healthy patients without ongoing blood loss and with low, normal hemoglobin levels.
5. routine administration of IV colloids to replace blood or other fluids.
**********************
WHY BOTHER?
A survey of anesthesiologists has identified the top 5 most common preoperative practices that are supported by the least amount of clinical evidence.
**********************