UI - 000142

AU - Allen A

TI - Notes from the annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists

AB - Several important developments were reported at the 1989 Annual Meeting of the American Society

of Anesthesiologists: (1) a computerized machine called HealthQuiz asks patients health questions, and in

less than 10 minutes provides a printout of answers, a summary of symptoms, and a list of suggested

laboratory tests; (2) a simple device provides continuous measurements of a critically ill patient's oxygen and

carbon dioxide levels; (3) near-infrared reflectance is a new technique that may provide the first accurate

real-time measurement of critical oxygen levels in the brain; (4) pulse oximeters may provide false readings

in patients who smoke cigarettes; (5) a new test may accurately predict the survival chances of a child in a

coma; (6) the fastest growing subspecialty in anesthesiology is chronic pain management clinics; (7) alpha-2

adrenergic agonists improve pain relief without the unwanted side effects of narcotics; (8) clonidine appears

to suppress the dangerous shivering that often occurs in postanesthesia patients; (9) flumazenil was

successfully tested as an agent to reverse the drowsiness caused by midazolam; and (10) ephedrine

minimizes nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing ambulatory surgery

SO - Journal of Post Anesthesia Nursing 1990;5:96-10