J. Lance Lichtor

Posts by J. Lance Lichtor:

Is the requirement of isoflurane dependent on cellular energy levels?

February 12, 2015 By J. Lance Lichtor in Anesthetic Pharmacology

The mechanism by which volatile anesthetics cause immobility to noxious stimulation remains a mystery. Can changes in energy levels affect the sensitivity to anesthetics? Dr. Zhongcong Xie, Geriatric Anesthesia Research Unit, Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, and colleagues sought to determine whether 2-deoxy-d-glucose […]

Airway exchange catheters can create lung damage when they extend beyond the carina

February 11, 2015 By J. Lance Lichtor in Technology, Computing, and Simulation

Airway exchange catheters are semi-rigid. As such, they have the potential to damage the respiratory tract if mishandled when used for endotracheal tube exchange. Dr. Robert Axe, Department of Anaesthesia, Royql United hospital, Bath, England, and colleagues used pig trachea and lung specimens less than 48 h postmortem. These tracheas were intubated using 83 cm […]

Crystalloids versus colloids

February 5, 2015 By J. Lance Lichtor in Critical Care, Trauma, and Resuscitation

Crystalloids versus colloids: the argument never ceases. Adequate fluid administration plays a major role in the management of hospitalized patients. However, the choice of intravenous fluids and the place of colloids remain controversial. Some experts have recently challenged the physiological concept that less intravenous colloid need to be administered than crystalloids to achieve the same […]

Cardiopulmonary bypass use and bleeding: a study in neonates

February 3, 2015 By J. Lance Lichtor in Pediatric Anesthesiology

Adult patients who require transfusion following cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) are at increased risk of adverse outcomes including death. Such studies have been done in children as well, with similar results, but none have previously been limited to neonates. Neonates may be more likely to bleed after cardiopulmonary bypass: the fixed bypass priming volumes are proportionally […]

Does use of PEEP affect bleeding during functional endoscopic sinus surgery?

January 28, 2015 By J. Lance Lichtor in Ambulatory Anesthesiology

Mechanical ventilation in the operating room frequently includes application of positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP). This is done to improve intraoperative oxygen delivery, as well as to improve lung mechanics postoperatively. PEEP increases intrathoracic pressure, decreasing venous return, and potentially raising venous pressure. This raises potential concern that PEEP may increase bleeding, particularly in operations […]

Cardiac arrest: a determination using the National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry

January 27, 2015 By J. Lance Lichtor in Patient Safety

How many patients die as a result of cardiac arrest under the care of an anesthesiologist? The number is sufficiently low that we need large databases to answer the question. Many perioperative databases are composed of patients who underwent an operative procedure. Anesthesiologists provide anesthesia care for patients both inside and outside the operating room. […]