Tag: anesthesia

Malignant Hyperthermia Is Your Facility Prepared?

[Editor’s note: This poster was accepted for presentation at the 2020 AORN National Conference and Surgical Expo, which unfortunately has been canceled because of the current Covid-19 crisis. However, the information contained on the poster contains important information that all healthcare facilities should be aware of and implement to prevent Malignant Hyperthermia and to minimize patient harm and prevent patient mortality, so we asked the poster authors to discuss their findings here.

By Thereza B. Ayad, RN, DNP, CNOR and Lynn Razzano, RN, MSN, ONC CMSRN

Malignant Hyperthermia (MH) complicates 1:100,000 adult surgical cases. MH is a severe reaction to a dose of anesthetics – infrequently, extreme exercise or a heat stroke can trigger MH in someone with a muscle abnormality where the individual’s muscle cells have an abnormal protein on their surfaces.

Although rare, MH can be fatal.

MH symptoms/ manifestations include:

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How To Avoid The Possibility Of Catastrophic Injury in Anesthesia

At the recent conference “Medical Malpractice Catastrophic Injury,” medical and legal experts discussed “The Distinct Dangers of Anesthesia: How To Avoid The Possibility of Catastrophic Injury, Notable Cases and Decisions, and Looking Towards the Future with Non-Human Administration.”

Speaking on the dangers of anesthesia were:

Victoria L. Vance (Partner, Chair, Health Care Practice, Tucker Ellis LLP)
Kenneth P. Rothfield, MD (System Vice President, Chief Medical Officer, Saint Vincent’s Healthcare, Ascension Health)
Michael Wong, JD (Founder/Executive Director, Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety)

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Aspiration and Risks of Anesthesia

By Patricia Iyer MSN RN LNCC

(Pat is a legal nurse consultant who provides education to healthcare providers about patient safety. She can be reached at patriciaiyer@gmail.com)

I woke up from a routine colonoscopy with coughing and not being able to speak. What went wrong?
The gastroenterologist told me I started coughing during the procedure. I inhaled some saliva into my lungs.

Aspiration is the entry of food, liquid, saliva, or stomach contents into the lung. The seriousness of this event can range from minor to a chemical pneumonia to death. Food particles that block the airways can cause suffocation. The people who are at risk for aspiration include people receiving anesthesia, those on ventilators, people with drug overdoses, strokes, traumatic brain injuries, and alcohol intoxication. These individuals have decreased gag reflexes, and are therefore at risk for getting substances into their lungs.

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Weekly Must Reads in Patient Safety (Sep 19, 2014)

As you may be tired of reading about the death of Joan Rivers, we thought that we’d highlight some important practice recommendations instead …

… and then just one article on Joan Rivers. Not only is the article in Gastroenterology & Endoscopy News, but Kenneth P. Rothfield, MD, MBA (chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology at Saint Agnes Hospital) is quoted in this article. Dr Rothfield is on our board of advisors, so we must confess that we are biased towards his passion and commitment to patient safety. Continue reading “Weekly Must Reads in Patient Safety (Sep 19, 2014)” →