J. Lance Lichtor

Posts by J. Lance Lichtor:

Levetiracetam: a case report where the drug is associated with a global decrease in transcranial electrical motor-evoked potentials

January 21, 2015 By J. Lance Lichtor in A & A Case Reports

Those who perform neurosurgical and orthopedic spine procedures know the sinking feeling when transcranial electrical motor-evoked potential (tceMEP) amplitude abruptly falls. The differential diagnosis includes hypotension, hypocapnia, hypothermia, hypoxemia, and direct surgical injury. Dr. Allan F. Simpao, Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and The […]

Fluid therapy for kidney transplant surgery

January 20, 2015 By J. Lance Lichtor in Critical Care, Trauma, and Resuscitation

When you care for a patient who is undergoing a kidney transplant, what fluid do you use for maintenance? If your answer is normal saline, your fluid choice matches that of the majority of anesthesiologists in the United States. The reason for this practice, is, in part, because of the fear of causing hyperkalemia […]

Heart valve surgery and myocardial infarction treatment: does competition improve care and decrease cost? The answer is “no.”

January 16, 2015 By J. Lance Lichtor in Economics, Education, and Policy

Hospitals publish outcome data in accessible databases, including the Hospital Compare database created by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The Hospital Compare database has information about the quality of care at over 4,000 hospitals, and permits consumers to compare quality of care at different hospitals. Does access to hospital quality data lead to […]

PTSD after surgery and anesthesia

January 8, 2015 By J. Lance Lichtor in Patient Safety

More than 10% of veterans who served in U.S. military operations after 9/11 suffer from PTSD. Patients who suffer awareness after anesthesia also suffer from PTSD. Up to 1.0 % of all general anesthetics are complicated by unintended intraoperative awareness with explicit recall. Dr. Elizabeth Whitlock (UCSF), Dr. Michael Avidan (Washington University), Dr. George A. Mashour (University of Michigan) […]

Ventilation of the child undergoing surgery: a review

January 7, 2015 By J. Lance Lichtor in Pediatric Anesthesiology

How should mechanical ventilation be managed for children undergoing anesthesia? In this month’s issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, Dr. Jeffrey M. Feldman, Department of Anesthesiology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has reviewed current technology used to ventilate children during anesthesia in the article titled “Optimal Ventilation of […]

Kidney transplantation: the first patient who underwent the procedure

January 2, 2015 By J. Lance Lichtor in General Articles

The first successful kidney transplantation took place in Boston almost 60 years ago. The donor and recipient were identical twins, and this success led the way to research and development in human organ transplantation. The physicians who attempted the pioneering procedure risked their careers, while the brave patients put their lives on the line. Dr. […]