Central Line by American Society of Anesthesiologists

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

Recorded live at ANESTHESIOLOGY 2024, Dr. Jed Wolpaw, host of the ACCRAC podcast, interviews Dr. Valerie Arkoosh, anesthesiologist and secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. Listen in as Dr. Wolpaw and the live audience ask Dr. Arkoosh about the intersection of anesthesiology and public service. Recorded October 2024.

Dr. Zach Deutch discusses palliative care with Dr. Sandra Sacks, guest editor of November's ASA Monitor. Learn how palliative care differs from hospice; understand the aims of palliative care and its role outside of the ICU; get practical tips for prognosis, planning, and end of life discussions; and more. Recorded October 2024.

Dr. Ahmed Shalabi, member of the ACE editorial board, joins Dr. Adam Striker to discuss medical ethics in mass casualty situations, a topic highlighted in the 21B issue. Listen in as they discuss the role of ethics in managing mass casualties, what health care organizations can do to prepare, issues anesthesiologists face in a crisis, and more. Recorded September 2024.

Dr. Keya Locke discusses advocacy with Dr. Sam Page, guest editor of October's ASA Monitor. Learn about the issues ASA is fighting for, what's at stake, how to get involved, and more. Recorded September 2024.

Drs. Brian Brenner and Jeffrey Carness, medical officers in the United States Navy, share their unique experiences and knowledge with Dr. Adam Striker. Learn about the history and evolution of military medicine, as well as what it's really like to practice anesthesiology in military settings today. Recorded September 2024.

Drs. Heather Nixon and Tracey Vogel from the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology (SOAP) join Dr. Brooke Trainer for a no-holds-barred conversation about intraoperative pain during cesarean delivery. Listen in as they explore the consequences of painful birth experiences and consider how anesthesiologists can meaningfully address the problem. Recorded August 2024.

Dr. Zach Deutch speaks to Dr. George Tewfik, guest editor of September's ASA Monitor, about the pivotal relationship between employees and employers. Listen in as they discuss the pros and cons of various practice models as well as workforce trends, contract considerations, unionization, the use of metrics to gauge clinician efficacy, and more. Recorded July 2024.

Dr. Adam Striker and Dr. Aaron Primm, editor for Summaries of Emerging Evidence (SEE), discuss recent studies included in the 40B issue of SEE that add to our understanding of ketamine. Learn how ketamine compares to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for the treatment of chronic depression and how intranasal ketamine might be used to treat refractory chronic migraines (https://www.asahq.org/see). Recorded July 2024.

Listen in as Dr. Ronald Harter, ASA's president, speaks with Melina Davis, executive vice president and CEO of the Medical Society of Virginia, about ASA's new clinician well-being program, SafeHaven (asahq.org/safehaven). Learn about this unique partnership, how SafeHaven is helping anesthesiologists and their families, and more. Recorded July 2024.

Dr. Joseph Staggenborg, guest editor of the August ASA Monitor, shares his thoughts on anesthesiology's most salient practice management topics with Dr. Keya Locke. Discover how practices have changed, how to prove value to hospital groups, the pros and cons of unionization, and more. Recorded July 2024.

Dr. Adam Striker interviews Drs. Steven Butz, Victor Davila, and Thomas Durick from the Society for Ambulatory Anesthesia (SAMBA) about common perioperative myths. Is hypercarbia preferable to hypocarbia? Is MAC best in ambulatory settings? Is propofol safe for patients with allergies? Learn answers to these questions and more in this informative episode. Recorded June 2024.

Dr. Adam Striker explores the subject of sustainable ORs with Drs. Praveen Kalra and Matthew Meyer. Discover how anesthesiologists are taking the lead, the real impact of gases and plastics, the role of hospitals and health systems, and more. Recorded May 2024.

Dr. Keya Locke interviews Dr. Elizabeth Malinzak, the guest editor of  July's ASA Monitor, about how anesthesiologists use social media for professional development, advocacy, education, and more. Learn about best practices, pitfalls, and platforms in this informative episode. Recorded June 2024.

Dr. James Rathmell, the recently appointed Editor-in-Chief of the Journal, ANESTHESIOLOGY, joins Dr. Adam Striker to share his plans for the future. Discover how ANESTHESIOLOGY will evolve, how the author experience will change, tips for anesthesiologists working to get published, and more. Recorded May 2024.

Drs. Monica Harbell and Emily Methangkool with Dr. Adam Striker about advancing patient safety in 2024 and beyond. From why anesthesiologists are so well suited to driving patient safety efforts, to the challenges facing the specialty, to how to think about “zero patient harm” and the differences between “patient safety” and “quality improvement,” this episode dives deep into this most essential topic. Recorded May 2024.

Dr. David Provenzano, president of the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, ASRA PM, speaks with Dr. Brooke Trainer about trends in pain management. Learn about new treatments for pain, patient access challenges, and where the subspecialty is going. Recorded May 2024.

Dr. Shobana Rajan, guest editor of June's ASA Monitor, speaks with Dr. Zach Deutch about the many ways anesthesia education is evolving. From workforce shortages to mentorship and sponsorship, from virtual reality to the validity of online learning platforms, the conversation touches on a range of salient issues. Recorded April 2024.

Dr. Adam Striker interviews Drs. Paul Picton and Matt Whalen from the Society for Neuroscience in Anesthesiology and Critical Care, SNACC, about perioperative stroke. Hear their expert opinions on risk factors, the measurement gap, guidelines, the importance of early detection, the effectiveness of thrombectomy, and more. Recorded April 2024.

Dr. Daniel Sessler, contributor to the May ASA Monitor, joins Dr. Zach Deutch to discuss 30-day mortality after anesthesia and surgery and the role anesthesiologists might play in addressing postoperative mortality. From the prevalence of preventable death in this period to major causes and potential solutions, this episode explores an underrecognized and emerging topic in the specialty. Recorded April 2024.

Dr. Adam Striker welcomes Dr. Vaibhav Bora, member of the ACE editorial board, to the show to discuss GLP-1 Agonists, a topic that appears in the 21A issue. The conversation touches on mechanisms of action, brand names, how these agents interact with insulin, side effects, guidelines, and more. Recorded March 2024

From innovations in clinical care and technology to trends in education and practice management, anesthesiology continues to evolve. Dr. Irving Ye from ASA's Committee on Innovation joins Dr. Adam Striker to discuss where the specialty is headed and innovations that will make an impact on patients and practices. Recorded March 2024.

Dr. Zach Deutch interviews the co-editors of April's ASA Monitor, Dr. Shahla Siddiqui and Dr. Ashish Khanna, about evolving trends, practices, and procedures in critical care medicine. From new guidelines related to perioperative tube feeding to the use of mechanical circulation support devices to the ethics of end of life discussions in the perioperative period, this episode examines some of the novel, innovative, and important shifts in critical care. Recorded February 2024.

Drs. John Fiadjoe and Annery Garcia-Marcinkiewicz from the Society of Pediatric Anesthesia join Dr. Adam Striker for an in-depth conversation about pediatric airways and the pediatric difficult intubation registry. Learn how the registry works, what the data reveals, and how the subspecialty is evolving. Recorded February 2024.

The intersection of global health and critical care is explored in this conversation between guest host Dr. Keya Locke and Dr. Ana Maria Crawford, guest editor of the March ASA Monitor. Listen in as they discuss assumptions that can harm patients, what we can learn from global colleagues, gaps in critical care, and more. Recorded February 2024.

Dr. Adam Striker and Dr. Alyssa Brzenski, editor for Summaries of Emerging Evidence (SEE), examine two recent studies featured in the 40A issue. Listen in as they discuss a study of the use of a prophylactic methylergonovineduring intrapartum cesarean birth, and a second study comparing the use of general anesthesia versus sedation for pediatric airway management. Recorded February 2024.

Dr. Brooke Trainer talks to Drs. Somnath Bose and Talia Ben-Jacob about the role of intensivists. Listen in as they discuss the value critical care anesthesiologists bring to departments and hospitals, the role of the Society of Critical Care Anesthesiologists (SOCCA), the subspecialty's future, and more. Recorded January 2024.

Dr. Elizabeth Drum, guest editor of the February ASA Monitor, joins guest host, Dr. Keya Locke, for a discussion of the challenges facing Indigenous People of North America and the anesthesiologists who work with this patient population. Learn about some of the health care issues prevalent in tribal nations, the work being done to address this critical global health challenge, the Indian Health Service (IHS), and more. Recorded January 2024.

This special episode of Central Line pairs ASA's new president, Dr. Ronald Harter, with ASA's new CEO, Mr. Brian Reilly, for a conversation about the challenges and opportunities facing ASA and the specialty of anesthesiology. Go behind the scenes with ASA leadership as they share their hopes and worries as well as their plans, expectations, best advice, and more. Recorded December 2023.

In this special episode, Dr. Adam Striker shares clips from ANESTHESIOLOGY 2023 featuring experts and leaders, including ASA's outgoing president, Dr. Michael Champeau, and incoming president, Dr. Ronald Harter, as well as Dr. George Williams, Dr. Peter Killoran, Dr. Lois Connolly, Dr. Michael Beck, and others. Listen in as leaders from the field discuss topics ranging from ASA's advocacy efforts to workforce issues, AI, payment models, and the role of HBCUs in educating our future leaders. Recorded by TopMedTalk in October 2023, at the ASA Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

Dr. Jane Moon, contributor to the January ASA Monitor, joins the podcast to discuss women in anesthesia leadership with Dr. Striker. Learn about the history of women in the specialty, the challenges and opportunities facing women anesthesiologists today, and tactics that can lead to a more equitable future. Recorded November 2023. 

Dr. Kyle Robinson joins Dr. Adam Striker to discuss his first few years of practice and ASA's Early Career Membership Program. From managing transitions to finding resources to how he has used ASA's new program, listen in for insights into the challenges and opportunities facing young anesthesiologists today. Recorded November 2023.

Dr. Keya Locke, co-guest editor of December's ASA Monitor, joins guest host, Dr. Brooke Trainer, for a candid conversation about equity in health care and the specialty. Their forthright conversation touches on steps anesthesiologists can take to advance equity, the intersection of equity and patient care, the import of equity in medical education and leadership, and more. Recorded November 2023.

Live from Center Stage at ASA's annual meeting, Dr. Adam Striker hosts a panel of anesthesiologists at different career stages. He joins Dr. Abigail Schirmer, a CA1, along with late career anesthesiologist, Dr. Mark Singleton, and recent retiree, Dr. Richard Himes, in conversation about how the specialty has evolved, what they wish other generations understood better, their expectations for the future, and more. Recorded October 2023.