American Society of Anesthesiologists

About: American Society of Anesthesiologists is a other organization based out in Schaumburg, Illinois, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Health care & Perioperative. The organization has 64 authors who have published 108 publications receiving 4975 citations. The organization is also known as: ASA.

Second symposium on the definition and management of anaphylaxis: summary report--Second National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease/Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network symposium.

Abstract: There is no universal agreement on the definition of anaphylaxis or the criteria for diagnosis. In July 2005, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network convened a second meeting on anaphylaxis, which included representatives from 16 different organizations or government bodies, including representatives from North America, Europe, and Australia, to continue working toward a universally accepted definition of anaphylaxis, establish clinical criteria that would accurately identify cases of anaphylaxis with high precision, further review the evidence on the most appropriate management of anaphylaxis, and outline the research needs in this area.

Adverse Respiratory Events in Anesthesia: A Closed Claims Analysis

Abstract: Adverse outcomes associated with respiratory events constitute the single largest class of injury in the American Society of Anesthesiology Closed Claims Study (522 of 1541 cases; 34%). Death or brain damage occurred in 85% of cases. The median cost of settlement or jury award was +200,000. Most outcomes (72%) were considered preventable with better monitoring. Three mechanisms of injury accounted for three-fourths of the adverse respiratory events: inadequate ventilation (196; 38%), esophageal intubation (94; 18%), and difficult tracheal intubation (87; 17%). Inadequate ventilation was used to describe claims in which it was evident that insufficient gas exchange had produced the adverse outcome, but it was not possible to identify the exact cause. This group was characterized by the highest proportion of cases in which care was considered substandard (90%). The esophageal intubation group was notable for a recurring diagnostic failure: in 48% of cases where auscultation of breath sounds was performed and documented, this test led to the erroneous conclusion that the endotracheal tube was correctly located in the trachea. Claims for difficult tracheal intubation were distinguished by a comparatively small proportion of cases (36%) in which the outcome was considered preventable with better monitoring. A better understanding of respiratory risks may require investigative protocols that initiate data collection immediately upon the recognition of a critical incident or adverse outcome.

Role of monitoring devices in prevention of anesthetic mishaps: a closed claims analysis.

Abstract: Anesthesiologist-reviewers examined 1,175 anesthetic-related closed malpractice claims from 17 professional liability insurance companies. The claims were filed between 1974 and 1988. The reviewers were asked to determine if the negative outcome was preventable by proper use of additional monitoring devices available at the time of the review even if not available at the time the incident occurred, and if so, which devices could have been preventative. In 1,097 cases sufficient information was available to make a judgment regarding preventability of the morbidity or mortality by application of additional monitoring devices. It was determined that 31.5% of the negative outcomes could have been prevented by application of additional monitors. Using the insurance industry's scale of 0 (no injury) to 9 (death), the median severity of injury for incidents deemed preventable was 9 compared with 5 for those deemed not preventable (P less than 0.01, scale detailed in text). The severity of injury scores were the same for preventable mishaps occurring during regional or general anesthesia, suggesting that additional monitoring devices may be equally efficacious in preventing serious negative outcomes during either regional or general anesthesia. The judgements or settlements of the incidents judged preventable by additional monitoring were 11 times more costly (P less than 0.01) than those mishaps not judged preventable. The monitors determined by the reviewers to be most useful in mishap prevention were pulse oximetry plus capnometry. Applied together, these two technologies were considered potentially preventative in 93% of the preventable mishaps.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Practice guidelines for postanesthetic care: an updated report by the American Society of Anesthesiologists Task Force on Postanesthetic Care.

Abstract: RACTICE Guidelines are systematically developed recommendations that assist the practitioner and patient in making decisions about health care. These recommendations may be adopted, modified, or rejected according to clinical needs and constraints, and are not intended to replace local institutional policies. In addition, Practice Guidelines developed by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) are not intended as standards or absolute requirements, and their use cannot guarantee any specific outcome. Practice Guidelines are subject to revision as warranted by the evolution of medical knowledge, technology, and practice. They provide basic recommendations that are supported by a synthesis and analysis of the current literature, expert and practitioner opinion, open forum commentary, and clinical feasibility data. This document updates the “Practice Guidelines for Postanesthetic Care: A Report by the American Society of Anesthesiologists Task Force on Postanesthetic Care,” adopted by the ASA in 2001 and published in 2002.*