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Happy
Thanksgiving!!!
Thanksgiving
Fun Facts:
Thanksgiving Day is the fourth Thursday in November.
The holiday dates back to 1621, when Puritans, who had just
enjoyed a bountiful harvest, showed their gratitude to the
Native Americans for their help by hosting a feast to give
thanks.
It eventually became a national holiday in 1863 when
President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of
November as a national day of thanksgiving.
Later, President Franklin D. Roosevelt clarified that
Thanksgiving should always be celebrated on the fourth
Thursday of the month, never on the occasional fifth
Thursday, to encourage earlier holiday shopping.
The preliminary estimate of turkeys raised in the United
States in 2009 is 250 million.
The forecast for U.S. cranberry production in 2009 is 709
million pounds.
More
Thanksgiving Fun Facts:
It is common for U.S. astronauts who spend Thanksgiving in
space to celebrate with a rehydrated turkey dinner.
There are three places in the United States named after the
holiday's traditional main course. Turkey, TX; Turkey Creek,
LA; and Turkey, NC.
Cranberries are considered one of three fruits native to
North America.
Cranberries are grown in bogs, mostly in Massachusetts, New
Jersey, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin.
Save yourself
time by keeping us updated with your credentials. Fax any
updated information to 248.646.0361 as soon as you receive
it or visit
www.nationalanesthesia.com
and create your online profile today! This will help in
keeping you credentialed in your current assignment or
preparing for a new one.
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A message from the President
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"God gave you a
gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used
one to say "thank you?"
-William A. Ward
I will use a few of my moments right now to
say "thank you" to everybody reading this
newsletter. I appreciate all of you who take
the time to read National News,each month.
My team looks forward to sharing our
activities; along with industry related
articles and we hope you enjoy them. "Thank
you" for your continued support and teamwork
as we partner together in providing staffing
solutions, whether you're looking for a new
job or you need our help in covering your
schedule, I am grateful you have trusted
National Anesthesia to take care of you.
In this month's issue of National News you
will find the article "Medication Accuracy
Depends on Accurate Weight" which discusses
medication errors. In "Oh, Christmas Tree"
we share the account of our team's holiday
spirit and support of a local assisted
living center. To wrap up this issue of
National News, we've included "Debate Rages
Over Anesthesia Technique" which goes into
detail on how this common anesthesia
technique affects the patient.
I wish all of
you a blessed Thanksgiving and sincerely
hope you enjoy the upcoming holiday season!
Connect with us today at 1-800-642-1999 or
visit us online at
www.nationalanesthesia.com!
Stephen Read, President
National Anesthesia Services, Inc.
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Quote of the month
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Not what we say
about our blessings, but how we use them, is
the true measure of our thanksgiving.
----- W.T. Purkiser |
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Medication Accuracy Depends on Accurate
Weight
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Failing to weigh
patients and incorrectly documenting patient
weights often play a role in medication
errors, according to a report from the
Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority.
A total of 479 reported medication errors
that occurred in the state between June 2004
and November 2008 were linked to inaccurate
or unknown patient weights, according to the
authority's Patient Safety Advisory.
In 310 of the errors (64.7%), over- or
under- dosages of medications such as
heparin (110 reports), enoxaparin (84
reports) or acetaminophen (20 reports)
occurred. In 129 cases (26.9%), pounds and
kilograms were confused. Eighty-three errors
(17.3%) resulted from a documented weight
that was too high, while 48 (10%) resulted
from a weight that was too low. The advisory
cites a study's finding that clinicians are
accurate in guessing a patient's weight 53%
of the time, while patients are accurate 92%
of the time.
The authors recommend having the proper
equipment to weigh each patient on
admission, documenting patient weight only
in kilograms and creating check boxes in
physician order forms and electronic
records. "Prescribers need to confirm that
the patient's weight is correct for
weight-based dosages and write the weight on
each order written," they write.
---Kent Steinriede
www.outpatientsurgery.net
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O' Christmas Tree
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In the spirit of
the season, the National Anesthesia team
recently trimmed the tree, decked the office
halls with lots of jolly and participated in
an individually decorated tree contest. Each
of us was given a minimal budget and the
task of creating a unique, creatively themed
tree under the most extreme secret
conditions! The miniature trees were
unveiled and after the cries of genuine
astonishment died down, we held a secret
judging. It was a very hard decision as each
tree was truly individual, ranging from
feathers, birds, candy, snowflakes, American
flags and a couple that positively glowed
with a whole lot of bling! Our grand
prizewinner was Randi Carter's nostalgic
toy-themed tree, complete with a fully
functioning miniature train set! All this
fun will be transported in the coming days
to our friends at a local nursing home in
the hopes of brightening their holiday.
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Debate Rages Over Anesthesia Technique
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A recently
published study has spurred debate on
whether a commonly used anesthesia technique
prevents aspiration during the
administration of general anesthesia.
Researchers at the University of Florida,
Gainesville, report in the November issue of
Anesthesia & Analgesia that Sellick's
maneuver - in which anesthesia providers
press their fingers to the cricoid
cartilage, just below the Adam's apple -
works, but by closing the lower throat (hypopharynx)
rather than the esophagus, as originally
described by British physician Brian Sellick
in 1961.
For the study, 24 volunteer patients
underwent the technique during an MRI scan.
Researchers found that pressing on the
cricoid cartilage caused the lower throat to
move sideways along with the cartilage,
closing the lower throat enough to block
regurgitated gastric contents from entering
the pharynx and lungs. "Sellick's original
proposal that [cricoid pressure] compresses
the conduit between the stomach and the
pharynx as intended has been confirmed,"
write the researchers.
An accompanying editorial, however, argues
that instead of documenting how Sellick's
maneuver affects the anatomy, researchers
should focus on determining the technique's
effectiveness.
"Currently, there is insufficient evidence
to advocate or abandon the use of cricoid
pressure to prevent passive regurgitation in
at-risk anesthetized patients," writes the
editorial's author. "We need to prove that
properly applied cricoid pressure is
effective at preventing regurgitation or
discard it."
---Kent
Steinriede
www.outpatientsurgery.net
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General Disclaimer:
The materials have been compiled by National
Anesthesia Services. Inc. from internal and
external sources. However, while we have
attempted to provide accurate information in
this publication, no representation is made
or warranty given as to the completeness or
accuracy of the Materials. In particular,
you should be aware that the Materials may
be incomplete, may contain errors, or may
have become out of date. You should
therefore verify information obtained from
this publication before you take any action
upon it.
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