Robert S. Isaak

Review of crisis resource management (CRM) principles in the setting of intraoperative malignant hyperthermia.

The practice of medicine is characterized by routine and typical cases whose management usually goes according to plan. However, the occasional case does arise which involves rare catastrophic emergencies, such as intraoperative malignant hyperthermia (MH), which require a comprehensive, coordinated, and resource-intensive treatment plan. Physicians are expected to provide expert quality care for routine, typical cases, but is it reasonable to expect the same standard of expertise and comprehensive management when the emergency involves a rare entity? Although physicians would like to say yes to this question, the reality is that no physician will ever amass the amount of experience in patient care needed to truly qualify as an expert in the management of a rare emergency entity, such as MH. However, physicians can become expert in the global process of managing emergencies by using the principles of crisis resource management (CRM). In this article, we review the key concepts of CRM, using a real life example of a team who utilized CRM principles to successfully manage an intraoperative MH crisis, despite there being no one on the team who had ever previously encountered a true MH crisis.

PRO: Transesophageal Echocardiography Should Be Routinely Used for All Liver Transplant Surgeries

From the Department of Anesthesiology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, UNC Hospitals, Chapel Hill, NC. Address reprint requests to Harendra Arora, MD, Department of Anesthesiology, N2198, University of North Carolina Hospitals, Campus Box 7010, Chapel Hill, NC. E-mail: harora@aims.unc.edu

Update on Perioperative Pulmonary Embolism Management: A Decision Support Tool to Aid in Diagnosis and Treatment

Pulmonary embolism (PE) affects up to 1 in every 1000 people per year, one-third of whom do not survive. Moreover, perioperative presentation of PE is 5 times more likely than at other times and poses a unique set of challenges for both diagnosis and treatment. This article discusses several important aspects regarding the prevention, diagnosis, and management of perioperative PE, incorporating information from the most recent practice guidelines, emerging literature on medical therapy, and interventional therapies. It proposes a clinical decision support tool that organizes the salient aspects of perioperative PE management to serve as an aid in practice.

Comparing Real-time Versus Delayed Video Assessments for Evaluating ACGME Sub-competency Milestones in Simulated Patient Care Environments

Background Simulation is an effective method for creating objective summative assessments of resident trainees. Real-time assessment (RTA) in simulated patient care environments is logistically challenging, especially when evaluating a large group of residents in multiple simulation scenarios. To date, there is very little data comparing RTA with delayed (hours, days, or weeks later) video-based assessment (DA) for simulation-based assessments of Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) sub-competency milestones. We hypothesized that sub-competency milestone evaluation scores obtained from DA, via audio-video recordings, are equivalent to the scores obtained from RTA. Methods Forty-one anesthesiology residents were evaluated in three separate simulated scenarios, representing different ACGME sub-competency milestones. All scenarios had one faculty member perform RTA and two additional faculty members perform DA. Subsequently, the scores generated by RTA were compared with the average scores generated by DA. Variance component analysis was conducted to assess the amount of variation in scores attributable to residents and raters. Results Paired t-tests showed no significant difference in scores between RTA and averaged DA for all cases. Cases 1, 2, and 3 showed an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.67, 0.85, and 0.50 for agreement between RTA scores and averaged DA scores, respectively. Analysis of variance of the scores assigned by the three raters showed a small proportion of variance attributable to raters (4% to 15%). Conclusions The results demonstrate that video-based delayed assessment is as reliable as real-time assessment, as both assessment methods yielded comparable scores. Based on a department’s needs or logistical constraints, our findings support the use of either real-time or delayed video evaluation for assessing milestones in a simulated patient care environment.

Defining Value-Based Care in Cardiac and Vascular Anesthesiology: The Past, Present, and Future of Perioperative Cardiovascular Care

Health care reimbursement models are transitioning from volume-based to value-based models. Value-based models focus on patient outcomes both during the hospital admission and postdischarge. These models place emphasis on cost, quality of care, and coordination of multidisciplinary services. Perioperative physicians are challenged to evaluate traditional practices to ensure coordinated, cost-effective, and evidence-based care. With the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services planned introduction of bundled payments for coronary artery bypass graft surgery, cardiovascular anesthesiologists are financially responsible for postdischarge outcomes. In order to meet these patient outcomes, multidisciplinary care pathways must be designed, implemented, and sustained, a process that is challenging at best. This review (1) provides a historical perspective of health care reimbursement; (2) defines value as it pertains to quality, service, and cost; (3) reviews the history of value-based care for cardiac surgery; (4) describes the drive toward optimization for vascular surgery patients; and (5) discusses how programs like Enhanced Recovery After Surgery assist with the delivery of value-based care.

A Descriptive Survey of Anesthesiology Residency Simulation Programs: How Are Programs Preparing Residents for the New American Board of Anesthesiology APPLIED Certification Examination?

BACKGROUND: Anesthesiology residency programs may need new simulation-based programs to prepare residents for the new Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) component of the American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) Primary Certification process. The design of such programs may require significant resources, including faculty time, expertise, and funding, as are currently needed for structured oral examination (SOE) preparation. This survey analyzed the current state of US-based anesthesiology residency programs regarding simulation-based educational programming for SOE and OSCE preparation. METHODS: An online survey was distributed to every anesthesiology residency program director in the United States. The survey included 15 to 46 questions, depending on each respondents answers. The survey queried current practices and future plans regarding resident preparation specifically for the ABA APPLIED examination, with emphasis on the OSCE. Descriptive statistics were summarized. &khgr;2 and Fisher exact tests were used to test the differences in proportions across groups. Spearman rank correlation was used to examine the association between ordinal variables. RESULTS: The responding 66 programs (49%) were a representative sample of all anesthesiology residencies (N = 136) in terms of geographical location (&khgr;2 P = .58). There was a low response rate from small programs that have 12 or fewer clinical anesthesia residents. Ninety-one percent (95% confidence interval [CI], 84%–95%) of responders agreed that it is the responsibility of the program to specifically prepare residents for primary certification, and most agreed that it is important to practice SOEs (94%; 95% CI, 88%–97%) and OSCEs (89%; 95% CI, 83%–94%). While 100% of respondents reported providing mock SOEs, only 31% (95% CI, 24%–40%) of respondents provided mock OSCE experiences. Of those without an OSCE program, 75% (95% CI, 64%–83%) reported plans to start one. The most common reasons for not having an OSCE program already in place, and the perceived challenges for implementing an OSCE program, were the same: lack of time (faculty and residents), expertise in OSCE development and assessment, and funding. CONCLUSIONS: The results provide data from residency programs for benchmarking their simulation curriculum and ABA APPLIED Examination preparation offerings. Despite agreement that residency programs should prepare residents for the ABA APPLIED Examination, many programs have yet to implement an OSCE preparation program, in part due to lack of financial resources, faculty expertise, and time. Additionally, in contrast to the SOE, the OSCE is a new format for ABA primary certification. As a result, the lack of consensus concerning preparation needs could be related to the amount information that is available regarding the examination content and assessment process.