Sphere Articles

Tracey Straker, M.D., M.S., M.P.H., FASA, Appointed to National Committee

NYSSA member Tracey Straker, M.D., M.S., M.P.H., FASA, was recently appointed to the position of chairwoman of the National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA).

Don’t Become a Victim

I want to thank Dr. Ellen Brand for sharing her story with us. While I am not a security expert, I will make the following comments:

The Day I Almost Went to Jail

A few months ago, my workday started normally. My assignment was in OB, as it usually is. As I took over from the night call doc, the obstetricians called a STAT CS on a patient who had just arrived.

Sustainability Tip of the Quarter

INDIVIDUAL Lower your fresh gas flow during maintenance of anesthesia, regardless of anesthetic choice. Learnhow on the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) website: https://www.apsf.org/apsf-technology-education-initiative/low-flow-anesthesia INSTITUTIONAL Create your Green Team!Choose a leader and invite sustainably minded clinicians from all divisions and roles within your department (including residents, CRNAs, and techs). Want to know more? Submit your […]

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence: Beyond the OR

Artificial intelligence (AI), where machines employ algorithms to reason and perform functions, including problem-solving and decision-making, is rapidly finding a foothold in the practice of medicine. The specialties of radiology, cardiology and surgery are already using AI applications.

Legislative Update

Once again, there was intense lobbying by the New York State Association of Nurse Anesthetists (NYSANA) to move this legislation forward, as well as a last-minute amendment by New York state Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky, chair of the Committee on Higher Education, in an apparent attempt to move the legislation out of this committee in the final days of the session.

Artificial Intelligence Integration in Point-of-Care Ultrasound

Focused transthoracic echocardiography (FTTE) is an abridged echocardiographic exam performed by a non-cardiologist at the bedside to obtain diagnostic quality information in real time that can direct patient management in up to half of all critically ill patients.

Achieving Fulfillment in Family and Professional Life as an Anesthesiologist Mom

Facing demands from family, friends, and patients, and without enough hours in a day, having children as a full-time physician anesthesiologist seems impossible. Can we really “have it all”?

Euroanaesthesia 2023

Sustainability Tip of the Quarter

“Planet vs. Plastics” is the theme for Earth Day 2024. Plastic is incredibly important to the safe delivery of anesthesia, but it also contributes to global pollution and detrimental health effects on humans.

A Frail Old Man

Knock Knock. I gently knock on the door, carefully walking in. From behind, he is a frail figure, his green hospital gown swallowing his being. He can’t quite swing his head fully around to look at me, so I move closer to the bed to be in his vision.

Fire in the Hole! A Case of Intraoperative Fire Originating in the Thoracic Cavity

Operating room (OR) fires are rare but can be catastrophic. OR fires are considered “never events,” but even with practice advisories in place and training for OR staff, they continue to be a threat in the perioperative setting. Recent data from the Emergency Care Research Institute estimates that between 200 and 240 surgical fires occur annually in the U.S., with 20 to 30 resulting in severe injury and two to three resulting in mortality.