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Central Line is the official biweekly podcast from the American Society of Anesthesiologists, edited by Dr. Adam Striker. We'll bring together leaders in the field of anesthesiology for conversations that address challenges and opportunities vital to the field. We hope you'll join ASA to learn more about how the anesthesiology community is working to advance patient safety, the quality of care and the profession.
Dr. Adam Striker welcomes Dr. Juliet Schmalz, who left her career in anesthesiology to start a bourbon company. She discusses what drove the change, reveals the surprising ways her background in medicine comes in handy, and shares tips for those considering a leap. Recorded May 2025. See details.
Dr. Keya Locke interviews Dr. Joseph Staggenborg, guest editor of July’s ASA Monitor, and Dr. Bob Johnstone, an early practice management champion. They consider the history of practice management, ASA’s efforts to advance the business of anesthesiology, the role of strategy and data, and more. Recorded May 2025. See details.
Drs. Adam Striker and Brooke Trainer consider some of the specialty’s pressing challenges. Listen in as they discuss recent legislative action, the impact of CMS’s conversion factor, the fallout from insurance companies upcharging patients, and more. Recorded May 2025. See details.
Dr. Zach Deutch interviews Dr. Nicole Guinn, guest editor of the June ASA Monitor, and Dr. Steven Frank, contributor, about blood management and transfusion medicine. Listen in as the guests share thoughts on bloodless care, the history of transfusion medicine, patient populations, the possibilities of predictive modeling, and more. Recorded April 2025. See details.
Dr. Kathy Perryman joins Dr. Adam Striker to share her unique experiences as a nurse anesthetist turned anesthesiologist. Listen in as they consider how the roles of CRNAs and anesthesiologists have evolved, differences in training and practice, the value of physician led care, and more. Recorded April 2025. Show details.
Dr. Zach Deutch interviews Dr. Tom Grissom, guest editor of May’s ASA Monitor, along with contributor, Dr. Brenda Gentz, about trauma and emergency preparedness. From tips for managing possible large-scale disasters to new guidelines on ketamine usage and the status of the opioid crisis, this episode offers fresh perspectives and resources. Recorded April 2025. See details.
Dr. Adam Striker discusses PECS blocks and nomenclature with Dr. Christine Vo, member of the ACE editorial board. Learn about the history and efficacy of PECS blocks, the challenges of heterogeneous nomenclature, ongoing efforts to standardize nomenclature, and more. Recorded April 2025. See details.
In this special episode, Dr. Striker presents four short conversations with members of ASA’s Committee on Informatics and Information Technology (CIIT). Dr. Beth Minzter offers an intro to AI; Dr. Vesela Kovacheva discusses patient safety and predictive models; Dr. Kent Berg shares thoughts on remote monitoring; and Dr. Vikas O’Reilly-Shah sheds light on AI’s academic and subspecialty applications. Recorded March 2025. See details.
Drs. Muhammad Rafique and Igor Tkachenko, guest editors of the April ASA Monitor, discuss the road to and from the perioperative experience with Dr. Zach Deutch. Learn about the history of perioperative medicine, the role of anesthesiologists beyond the OR and around the globe, and more. Recorded February 2025. See details.
Drs. Diana Mosquera and Neeju Ravikant discuss Alternative Payment Models (APMs) with Dr. Brooke Trainer. Learn how APMs intersect with broader operational and financial goals, how they impact patients and physicians, and what implementation looks like in practice. Recorded February 2025. See details.
Dr. Zach Deutch speaks with Drs. Beth Darnall and Meredith Barad, contributors to the March ASA Monitor, about the advances in pain medicine. The episode explores the rewards and pitfalls of pain medicine, the subspecialty’s outlook, and the emerging role of biopsychosocial interventions and other innovations. Recorded February 2025. See details.
Read Dr. Barad’s companion article in the ASA Monitor
Read Dr. Darnell’s companion article in the ASA Monitor
Dr. Brooke Trainer speaks with Dr. Jason Chi, editor for Summaries of Emerging Evidence (SEE), about two studies included in the 41A issue of SEE that aim to help anesthesiologists manage patients who resist blood transfusions due to concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine, and add to our understanding of bias in pulse oximeter readings with patients who have darker pigmented skin. Recorded January 2025. See details.
Drs. Jeans Santana and Gage Parr from the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists join Dr. Adam Striker to discuss the role of cardiac anesthesiologists in and beyond the OR, the use of transesophageal echocardiography, recent AHA guidelines, and more. Recorded January 2025. See details.
Drs. Henry Rosenberg and Kumar Belani, guest editor of the February ASA Monitor, speak with Dr. Zach Deutch about genetic breakthroughs in malignant hyperthermia. The episode touches on the advances and limitations of genetic testing, the expanding scope of malignant hyperthermia, how to best manage a diagnosis, and more. Recorded January 2024. See details.
Drs. Adam Striker and Brooke Trainer discuss hot button issues facing the specialty today. Their lively conversation touches on the recent Anthem Blue Cross decision to propose and then rescinded a cap on anesthesia time, how the media covers anesthesiology, potential legislative solutions, and more. Recorded December 2024. See details.
Dr. Adam Striker shares clips from ANESTHESIOLOGY 2024 in this special episode. Listen in as outgoing president Dr. Ronald Harter and incoming president Dr. Donald Arnold—along with Drs. Sean Runnels, Barrett Larson, Michael Hofkamp, Benjamin Houseman, Lois Connolly and Jonathan Gal—discuss commercial payer policies, Anesthesia Toolbox, Swimming with the Sharks, the specialty’s challenges, and more. Recorded by TopMedTalk in October 2024 at the ASA Annual Meeting in Philadelphia. See details.
Dr. Lalitha Sundararaman, guest editor of the January ASA Monitor, and Dr. Aaron Tebbs, Chair of the Committee on Late Career and Retired Members, join Dr. Zach Deutch to discuss retirement. This episode explores the stages of retirement, ways to stay involved with the specialty, considerations beyond finances, and more. Recorded November 2024. See details.
Recorded live at ANESTHESIOLOGY 2024, Dr. Adam Striker discusses the opioid epidemic with accomplished journalist and ASA’s keynote speaker, Sam Quinones. Listen in as Mr. Quinones shares what he learned from his extensive research about the role of pain specialists, pharmaceutical companies, and Mexican drug cartels as well as the state of legislation today and how anesthesiologists can contribute to solutions. Recorded October 2024. Show details.
Dr. Muhammad Rafique, guest editor of December’s ASA Monitor, joins Dr. Zach Deutch for a conversation about what happens when bad things happen to good anesthesiologists. Learn how physicians and health care organizations can prepare for, or react to, bad outcomes, legal issues, personal challenges, and more. Recorded November 2024. See details.
In this collection of five ASA Monitor-themed episodes, guest host Dr. Crystal Wright discusses mentoring, coaching, and negotiation with anesthesiologists who contributed to the ASA Monitor’s special section on connecting with purpose. Listen in as Drs. Markowitz, Solomon, Tollinche, Cheng, Nabipour, and Yost discuss leadership, connections, and the future of the specialty. Recorded February – March 2021.
Curated by: the ASA Marketing and Communications department
Date of last update: June 16, 2025
