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Legislative Update

Two California Hospitals Face the Consequences of Allowing Nurse Anesthetists to Practice Unsupervised Reports of patient harm and anesthesia-related deaths led to the loss of CMS accreditation for two California hospitals that allowed nurse anesthetists to practice unsupervised. The California Department of Health’s investigations of the two hospitals resulted in a finding of “immediate jeopardy” […]

Sustainability Tip of the Quarter

Nitrous Oxide (N2O) is a potent greenhouse gas and ozone destroyer. Due to the large volume of gas needed to achieve clinical effects, N2O’s negative environmental impact approaches that of desflurane.1 INDIVIDUAL Reduce or eliminate N2O use: INSTITUTIONAL Decommission the central N2O pipe system: Want to learn more? Submit your name and email here or […]

How We Did It: Decommissioning Central Nitrous Oxide Pipes at Three Institutions

Nicholas Gadsden, M.D., Ellen Brand, M.D., Vittoria Arslan-Carlon, M.D., and Deirdre C. Kelleher, M.D. Anesthetic gases are responsible for up to 50% of perioperative emissions, contributing substantially to hospital scope 1 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (direct emissions).1 To decrease the environmental impact of anesthesia practice, the World Federation of Societies of Anesthesiologists (WFSA) encourages all […]

Achieving Sustainability in Anesthesiology

In recent years, there has been a global reckoning regarding the negative environmental impact of carbon emissions emanating from a variety of sectors. Those of us in healthcare have acknowledged our carbon footprint and its potential to cause harm over time. Within our field of anesthesiology, there are champions of sustainability initiatives who understand that […]

Our Voices Matter

“I learned a long time ago the wisest thing I can do is be on my own side, be an advocate for myself and others like me.” — Maya Angelou Earlier this year, a member of the NYSSA posted a question on the ASA community open forum regarding the need for anesthesiologists to fight for […]

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Legislative Update

NYSSA’s 39th Annual Legislative Day The NYSSA’s in-person Legislative Day was held on May 7, 2024, and included 50 members representing every NYSSA district. We greatly appreciate the efforts of these dedicated individuals. Based on the strong participation of our members, we were able to schedule appointments with or to drop off materials to various […]

Paradoxical Breathing in a Patient Undergoing CT-Guided Needle Biopsy Under Propofol Sedation

Maricka Bennett, M.S., Joanna Serafin, Ph.D., and Kara M. Barnett, M.D., FASA, SAMBA-F Introduction Propofol is a commonly administered anesthetic due to its ease of titration to a desired level as well as its safety profile. However, propofol administration in a patient with a natural airway can lead to respiratory depression, hypoxia and, less commonly, […]

Revitalizing Kindness: Strategies for Compassion, Patience and Respect in the Workplace

Eileen Kodack, M.D., Teuta Marsic, M.D., Keith Lewis, M.D., and Alopi Patel, M.D. “In a world where you can be anything, be kind.”— Unknown Medicine has long been considered a noble field where physicians selflessly and tirelessly dedicate their lives to patient care. In today’s healthcare landscape, however, there are increasing reports of workplace harassment […]

Supporting Your Lactating Colleagues in the Workplace

As physicians, we are all aware of the benefits of lactation for both mother and child,1 but lactating clinicians face many workplace barriers. A 2018 article by Cantu et al. identified the most common barriers reported by female physicians, including lack of time to pump, unpredictability of one’s schedule, and lack of an appropriate place […]

Physician Suicide: A Sad but Not Hopeless Reality

By the time I was a chief resident, I had known three colleagues whose careers were interrupted by substance use disorder and addiction. This time was different. One of my classmates was found dead in the call room, beeper beeping, opiates and syringes sitting on the desk in front of him. He had a wife, […]