Intraoperative Awareness

ateline NBC ran a segment on intraoperative awareness on September 25, featuring an interview with Michael H. Entrup, M.D.

An August 8 U.S. News & World Report article, “Down But Not Out,” reported on the latest information on awareness and quoted 2005 President Eugene P. Sinclair, M.D. A followup article appeared in the online version of U.S. News on October 26, mentioning ASA’s new Practice Advisory for Intraoperative Awareness and Brain Function Monitoring and quoting 2006 ASA President Orin F. Guidry, M.D.

An Associated Press story on the new practice advisory, which ran on October 25, was picked up by countless media outlets around the country, including CNN and the Washington Post. Good Morning America covered this story on October 26 with Carol A. Warfield, M.D., and the “Today” Show interviewed past president James E. Cottrell, M.D. The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and many other business publications reported on this as well. More about press coverage on this issue will appear in the January NEWSLETTER.

Studies

ealth Day News, ABC News and others reported on a study of a new near-infrared laser device that measures brain oxygen levels, quoting Duke University anesthesiologist David MacLeod, M.D., on October 22.

A study about the importance of patients taking their beta-blockers in the critical periods before and after surgery, featuring lead author David M. Rosenfeld, M.D., was reported on by the Doctors Guide, Montreal, Canada, which also covered studies about the safety of pediatric sedation, anesthesia’s effect on acupuncture and postoperative nausea and vomiting.

Several publications reported on the Obstetric Anesthesia Workforce Survey, published in the September issue of Anesthesiology, with lead author Brenda A. Bucklin of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver. The study showed that more women in labor are taking advantage of pain relief options. Publications and Web sites included InterestAlert.com, Baby Center Magazine, and El Mundo, and several other publications are planning to carry the story in a future issue.

SCIP

rticles about the Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) appeared in AHA News in October and in American Family Physician in September, mentioning ASA as a partnering organization.

Patient Safety

n article distributed by ASA, “Anesthesiology’s Crucial Role in Patient Safety,” appeared in an estimated 335 community newspapers, with a combined circulation of 1,268,000 households, in October, including more than 60 Chicago-area newspapers in the Pioneer Press chain.

Music in the O.R.

n October 2 Associated Press article about the role of music in the operating room, featuring Frank Gentile, M.D., and Doug Reinhart, M.D., ran in many newspapers around the country.