Yale Anesthesiology

In this episode, Dr. Blake, Reid Mergler, and Caimhe Duffy examine the crucial role of anesthesiologists in recognizing and addressing trauma during labor. Their thorough narrative review highlights the importance of trauma-informed care, which shifts the focus from “what is wrong with the patient” to “what has happened to the patient.” The trio discusses how … Read More Read More

In this episode, we explore the concept of a highly functional team, its characteristics, and the importance of fostering interdisciplinary teamwork among healthcare professionals such as anesthesiologists, obstetricians, nurses, and others. Dr. Girnius emphasizes that such collaboration enhances communication and efficiency and improves patient outcomes. Additionally, we discuss the process of identifying and implementing what … Read More Read More

In this episode, we discuss the importance of following intravenous access recommendations for cesarean deliveries with Dr. Scott Seki at his institution. How do Dr. Seki and his colleagues define adequate intravenous access? Which patients are more or less likely to receive the recommended IV access? What are the patient implications if we fail to … Read More Read More

In this episode, Dr. Landau, a renowned expert and researcher in the topic of pain, delves into the evolution of our understanding of this topic. We explore how the research and its definition have changed over the past few decades. Additionally, we discuss her study titled “Pain during cesarean delivery: a patient-related prospective observational study … Read More Read More

In this episode, Dr. Mark I. Zakowski delves into the pressing issue of pain during cesarean delivery. During our interview, we explore how our societies (ASA and SOAP) are collaborating to provide practitioners with valuable insights into managing this problem that affects approximately 15-20% of cesarean delivery patients. The ASA approved the “Statement on Pain … Read More Read More

Dr. Allana Munro and Dr. Ronald George are two obstetric anesthesia experts whose research is focused on labor analgesia. Two years ago, they demonstrated that “achieving desired pain relief” is of utmost importance to our patients. The question remains: How can we safely achieve this while minimizing workload and side effects? In this episode, they … Read More Read More

In this episode, Dr. de Carvalho discusses his article, Efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided versus landmark-guided neuraxial puncture: a systematic review, network meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis of randomized clinical trials. Dr. de Carvalho's work reiterates that using ultrasound-guided neuraxial anesthesia results in a more efficient neuraxial placement. Ultrasound-guided neuraxial use results in fewer needle … Read More Read More

In this episode, Dr. Lawrence Tsen discusses the findings of his paper on Labor Analgesia Initiation with Dural Puncture Epidural (DPE) Versus Conventional Epidural Techniques. The paper presents a randomized biased-coin sequential allocation trial to determine the effective dose for 90% of patients of Bupivacaine. We explore the benefits of using the DPE technique, if … Read More Read More

In this episode, Dr. Holly Ende discusses her article, Implementation of an Epidural Rounding Reminder in the Electronic Medical Record Improves Performance of Standardized Patient Assessments during Labor. Dr. Ende's work underscores the necessity of regular assessments of the effectiveness of neuraxial labor analgesia. This proactive approach is crucial for the timely identification of malfunction, … Read More Read More

In this episode, Dr. Rachel Kearns discussed the findings from her study -Epidural analgesia during labour and severe maternal morbidity: population-based study. This study solidifies that anesthesiologists bring more to the table than “just” labor pain management. Epidural analgesia during labour and severe maternal morbidity: population-based study. https://www.bmj.com/content/385/bmj-2023-077190 Unlocking maternal health: labour epidurals and severe … Read More Read More

In this episode, Dr. Vishal Uppal and Allana Munro discussed with us the findings from their study -The Incidence and Predictors of Failed Spinal Anesthesia After Intrathecal Injection of Local Anesthetic for Cesarean Delivery: A Single-Center, 9-Year Retrospective Review. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37014966/ Anesthesia-Related Maternal Mortality in the United States: 1979–2002 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21173646/ Can epidurals as a quality marker … Read More Read More

In this episode, Dr. Allison Mootz, an obstetric anesthesiology fellow at Brigham and Women, discusses her thought-provoking article titled- The Accuracy of ChatGPT-Generated Responses in Answering Commonly Asked Patient Questions About Labor Epidurals: A Survey-Based Study. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38180897/ Comparing Physician and Artificial Intelligence Chatbot Responses to Patient Questions Posted to a Public Social Media Forum https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37115527/

In this episode, Dr. Ron George provides a tour de force of our past and present labor analgesia management. We discuss his recent publication, Modern Labor Epidural Analgesia: Implications for Labor Outcomes and Maternal-Fetal Health. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37164496/ The Most Influential Publications in Obstetric Anesthesiology, 1998–2017: Utilizing the Delphi Method for Expert Consensus https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32282388/ Effect of low-dose … Read More Read More

In this episode, Dr. David Bishop, a Specialist Anesthesiologist and Head of the Clinical Unit of Anaesthesia at Edendale Hospital in Pietermaritzburg talks about a vital topic and his recent publication, Tranexamic acid at cesarean delivery: drug-error deaths. Tranexamic acid at cesarean delivery: drug-error deaths https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36300729/ Spinal tranexamic acid – a new killer in town … Read More Read More

In this episode, Dr. Thomas Klumpner, whose research interests involve using technology to detect childbirth complications before they become life-threatening, discusses with us his research titled: Use of a Novel Electronic Maternal Surveillance System and the Maternal Early Warning Criteria to Detect Severe Postpartum Hemorrhage Use of a Novel Electronic Maternal Surveillance System and the … Read More Read More

In this episode, Dr. Vishal Uppal, whose primary research interests are improving the safety and efficacy of regional anesthesia techniques in high-risk patient populations, discussed his article Consensus Practice Guidelines on Postdural Puncture Headache From a Multisociety, International Working Group: A Summary Report. Consensus guidelines https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37581893/ Atypical headache following dural puncture in obstetric https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24934311/ A … Read More Read More

In this episode, Dr. Tracey Vogel, an obstetric anesthesiologist who is very well-versed in a topic we should all know about, discusses trauma-informed care. What is trauma-informed care, and how can we become a trauma-informed care unit? These and many more questions are addressed during this Podcast. “A service that is not trauma-informed is trauma … Read More Read More

In this episode, Dr. Mark Rollins and Dr. Chatterjee, two leading experts in anesthesia for maternal-fetal intervention, share their knowledge with us. Specifically, we discussed fetal benefits and preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative management for this delicate procedure in which two patients are undergoing surgical intervention under our care. Should we provide analgesia directly or indirectly … Read More Read More

In this episode, Dr. B Amnon Berger shared the results of his study – Epidural catheter replacement rates with dural puncture epidural labor analgesia compared with epidural analgesia without dural puncture: a retrospective cohort study. Besides, we discussed the benefits of a dural puncture epidural technique and how it differs from the combined spinal-epidural technique. … Read More Read More

In this episode, Dr. Grace Lim, Associate professor and the Chief of the Obstetric Anesthesia division at the University of Pittsburgh, whose research is aimed at eliminating pain and suffering in special populations, optimizing perioperative medication use, and personalizing patient care, discussed with us two of her articles related to pain management of patients with … Read More Read More

In this episode, Dr. Katrina Furey, a board-certified adult psychiatrist who offers psychotherapy, medication management, and expert consultation for women with depression, anxiety, premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (including OCD), birth trauma, and menopausal mood and anxiety disorders. Besides, she is part of Access Mental Health for Moms CT. This consultation … Read More Read More

In this episode, Dr. Sharon Reale shares with us the results of her study titled Frequency and Risk Factors for Difficult Intubation in Women Undergoing General Anesthesia for Cesarean Delivery: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Analysis. As Dr. Reale pointed out during this Podcast, most of the available literature regarding the obstetric airway comes from data … Read More Read More

In this episode, Dr. Jennifer Dominguez, a leading expert in topics related to morbid obesity, particularly Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), talks with us regarding the importance of early recognition and management of OSA during Pregnancy. To guide our discussion, we conversed regarding the recently published consensus statement titled- The Society of Anesthesia and Sleep Medicine … Read More Read More

In this episode, Dr. Pervez Sultan, a leading expert in creating obstetric Patient Reported Outcome Measurements (PROMs), including the validated Obstetric quality of recovery (OBsQoR-10), discusses their future in our field. And let me tell you, their future is PROMising, from using it as a benchmark score to compare amongst institutions to analyzing results between … Read More Read More

In this interview, I discuss with Dr. Perlas, the Director of the Anesthesia POCUS fellowship at the University of Toronto, the role of ultrasound for spine sonoanatomy and the future of gastric ultrasound. Dr. Perlas describes the patient population that benefits the most when using ultrasound for neuraxial analgesia and advises that we should practice … Read More Read More

n a previous interview (PPH part 1) with Dr. Michaela Farber, we discussed the importance of fibrinogen concentrate. During this interview, Dr. Collis and Dr. Bell help us understand the importance of early recognition of hypofibrinogenemia and replacement of this important coagulation factor. Our guests have over a decade of experience using viscoelastic hemostatic assays … Read More Read More

Postpartum hemorrhage remains an important and preventable cause of maternal mortality worldwide. In this interview, Dr. Michaela Farber provides us with a phenomenal timeline from the landmark study that highlighted the importance of fibrinogen as an early plasma biomarker to predict severe postpartum hemorrhage to the current evidence for the use of fibrinogen concentrate and … Read More Read More

We have tremendously increased the safety and efficacy of our Neuraxial blocks. The consequences of our success have resulted in a limited number of general anesthesia cases for trainees during their obstetric anesthesia rotation. In this episode, I discuss with Dr. Delgado, author of the review article The Current Role of General Anesthesia for Cesarean … Read More Read More

In this episode, I had the pleasure of discussing intraoperative pain with Susanna Stanford. Susanna is a patient who experienced intraoperative pain, and knowing she was not alone, she has actively raised awareness of this issue. In her own words, “Being able to feel major abdominal surgery is every bit as horrific as it sounds.” … Read More Read More

Unfortunately, the United States has the highest maternal mortality rate among developed nations, and the COVID pandemic brought to the limelight the impact of racial and ethnic disparities in health outcomes. According to the CDC, systemic racism is a public health threat. In this interview, I discuss with Dr. Lee, author of the article Causes … Read More Read More

In this episode, we discuss the leading causes of maternal mortality in the US and our state of CT. We discuss available resources at the national (https://saferbirth.org/patient-safety-bundles/) and local level (https://www.accessmhct.com) to help us flatten the curve of the rising maternal mortality in the US. Here you can find the links to the articles mentioned … Read More Read More

In this episode, I had the pleasure of discussing the evolving disciple of cardio-obstetrics and the planning delivery framework for the Pregnant patient with cardiovascular disease with Dr. Marie-Louis Meng. Dr. Meng has authored many publications on anesthetic care for pregnant patients with cardiovascular disease. During this interview, she offers her knowledge from the perspective … Read More Read More