
Medical Safety Principles
New PAINTS episode with Drs. Morrissey and Nash
Psychological Safety
New PAINTS episode with Dr. Joseph Sisk
May 2025 POCUS Case of the Month: Lung Ultrasound
Join Dr. Eric Heinz for the latest episode of this vodcast series!
Transitioning to Inclusivity in OB Anesthesia
Latest episode of the Fellows Webinar Series
Check out the latest OpenAnesthesia Summaries!
More than 400 mini-reviews on high-yield topics in anesthesiology, critical care, and perioperative medicine.
Question of the Day
Which of the following BEST explains why higher settings of desflurane are needed at higher altitudes to produce the same anesthetic effect?
Explanation
The partial pressure of most anesthetic vapors is dependent on temperature, not barometric pressure, and in an extremely cold environment more anesthetic vapor might be required. In one study, the delivered concentration of halothane increased with altitude, but its alveolar partial pressure remained constant. Although the concentration of the inspired volatile anesthetic was increased, the anesthetic effect remained unchanged at the given vaporizer setting. In other words, halogenated hydrocarbon vapors are delivered at a constant potency at constant temperature irrespective of altitude. Desflurane is the only exception to this rule. Unlike variable-bypass vaporizers, the Datex-Ohmeda (Steeton, UK) Tec 6 and Tec 6 plus vaporizers require manual adjustments of the concentration control dial at altitudes other than sea level to maintain a constant partial pressure of anesthetic.
References:
Inhaled Anesthetics in Clinical Use Leissner KB, Mahmood FU. Physiology and pathophysiology at high altitude: considerations for the anesthesiologist. J Anesth. 2009;23(4):543-553. doi:10.1007/s00540-009-0787-7Harper N. Inhalational anesthetics. Anaesthesia & Intensive Care Medicine. Volume 5, Issue 8, 1 August 2004, Pages 278--282.
OA Series: June 2025
18:06
OA-POCUS Case of the Month
May 2025 POCUS Case of the Month: Lung UltrasoundEric R. Heinz, MD, PhD, George Washington University, Washington, DC, Section Editor: Yuriy Bronshteyn
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46:34
OA-SOAP Fellows Webinar Series
Transitioning to Inclusivity in OB AnesthesiaHilary MacCormick, MD, FRCPC, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada, James Damron, MD, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
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14:43
PAINTS
Medical Safety PrinciplesMegan Nash, DO, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO, Tyler P. Morrissey, MD, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO
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14:02
PAINTS
Psychological SafetyJoseph M. Sisk, MD, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK
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