Citations

Abstract Introduction Combat casualty care requires standardized proficiency criteria to ensure readiness in austere environments, yet gaps persist in defining performance thresholds for critical trauma skills. The Combat Medical Skills Sustainment Consortium (CMSSC), a novel military-civilian collaboration, aimed to validate competency thresholds for 21 Department of Defense-identified trauma skills. Materials and Methods A prospective cohort study (2022-2025) enrolled 1,495 military and civilian personnel across five academic centers, stratified by experience (novice, intermediate, expert). Skills, including cricothyroidotomy, whole blood transfusion, and ultrasound-guided vascular access, were assessed using validated checklists in Role 2-congruent simulations. Statistical analysis compared checklist performance against participant experience with a priori checklist scores estimated at 40% (novices) and 90% (experts). Results Competency thresholds were established, ranging from 77% (mechanical ventilation) to 100% (handoff). Experts achieved 85%-98% proficiency across most skills, with novices at 34%-97%. A ceiling effect was observed for less complex skills consistent with the power law of practice. Conclusion The Combat Medical Skills Sustainment Consortium validated standardized assessment tools, with potential to address readiness gaps through military-civilian synergy. Findings support consortium-guided curriculum development and highlight the need for longitudinal skill decay studies. Impact This study sets a benchmark for trauma care skills assessment, facilitating rapid adoption across military and civilian settings.

BACKGROUND: The use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) has significantly increased in recent years. GLP-1 RAs delay gastric emptying, resulting in early satiety and weight loss. This may increase the risk of pulmonary aspiration of residual gastric contents (RGC) during anesthesia delivery. Evidence is urgently needed to guide perioperative anesthesia management for patients taking GLP-1 RAs. This study evaluated preoperative factors that may be associated with high RGC. METHODS: Adult patients who were taking GLP-1 RAs and scheduled to receive anesthesia at 3 hospitals between June 30, 2023, and August 15, 2024, were evaluated via preoperative point-of-care gastric ultrasonography (GUS). The primary outcome was high RGC, defined by the presence of solids food or >1.5 mL/kg of clear liquids on GUS, and its association with preoperative factors (eg, existing medical conditions, indication and route of taking GLP-1 RAs, length of taking GLP-1 RAs, days of withholding GLP-1 RAs before surgery, and preoperative fasting periods). Data are presented as median (interquartile range [IQR]). RESULTS: Among the 316 patients (60.9 years [52.1–68.9] of age; 167 [52.8%] females) included in the study, 113 (35.8%) had high RGC. A higher percentage (5.3%; 6/113) of patients in the high RGC group had an opioid prescription for pain management within 3 months of the GUS assessment compared to the low RGC group (1.0%; 2/203; P = .027). No statistical difference was found between the groups in other existing medical conditions, indication and route of taking GLP-1 RAs, and length of taking GLP-1 RAs. Of the 294 patients taking weekly injections, there were 187 (63.6%) with low RGC and 107 (36.4%) with high RGC. Patients with low RGC withheld their GLP-1 RAs for 8 days [5–10], while patients with high RGC withheld for 6 days [3–9] ( P = .003). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis found ≤7.5 days of withholding the medication as cutoff for increased prevalence of high RGC in patients taking GLP-1 RA injections. Patients with low RGC fasted from solid food for 20.0 hours [14.8–40.8], and patients with high RGC fasted from solid food for 15.0 hours [12.8–19.0] ( P < .001). ROC found ≤21.3 hours of fasting from solid food as the cutoff for increased prevalence of high RGC. CONCLUSIONS: GLP-1 RA usage may delay gastric emptying. In preoperatively fasting adults, ≤7.5 days of withholding injections and ≤21.3 hours of fasting from solid food are associated with high RGC.

Purpose of review Although effective patient safety education is critical to reducing medical errors, little guidance exists on best practices for patient safety curricula. This review explores the current state of patient safety education in anesthesiology and highlights emerging technologies as tools to enhance and personalize education. Recent findings Despite formal mandates from accrediting bodies, patient safety education in anesthesiology lacks standardization in content, delivery, and assessment. Structured clinical training, simulation, and quality improvement projects are common teaching strategies, but novel approaches such as immersive reality (IR), artificial intelligence (AI)-powered agents, gamification, and mobile platforms are gaining traction. AI shows promise in tailoring instruction and identifying high-risk learners, and IR offers tools for both technical and nontechnical skills training. Summary Patient safety education in anesthesiology is evolving with technology. AI and digital tools provide adaptive and interactive learning experiences that may help address current limitations in fixed, generalized curriculum structure and accessibility. However, these innovations require robust validation and thoughtful integration into educational frameworks to realize their full potential.

Background: Patients who undergo cardiac surgery are at increased risk of stroke, postoperative cognitive decline, and delirium. These neurocognitive complications have led to increased costs, intensive care unit stays, morbidity, and mortality. As a result, there is a significant push to mitigate any neurological complications in cardiac surgery patients. Near-infrared spectroscopy to measure regional cerebral oxygen saturations has gained consideration due to its non-invasive, user-friendly, and relatively inexpensive nature. Aim of Study: To provide a comprehensive summary of cerebral oximetry in cardiac surgery. The review interrogates multiple systematic reviews assessing different outcomes in cardiac surgery to assess if cerebral oximetry is effective. Further, the review analyzes all available interventions for an acute desaturation to determine the efficacy of individual interventions. Methods: A narrative review of randomized controlled trials, observational studies, and systematic reviews with metanalyses were performed through August 2021. Results: There is significant heterogeneity amongst studies regarding the definition of a clinically significant cerebral desaturation. In addition, the assessment of neurocognitive outcomes has large variability, making metanalysis challenging. To date, cerebral oximetry use during cardiac surgery has not been associated with improvements in neurocognitive outcomes, morbidity, or mortality. The evidence to support particular interventions for an acute desaturation is equivocal. Conclusions: Future research is needed to quantify a clinically significant cerebral desaturation and to determine which interventions for an acute desaturation effectively improve clinical outcomes.

Psychotropic drugs are used in the treatment of psychiatric and non-psychiatric conditions. Many patients who are on psychotropic medications may present for procedures requiring anesthesia. Psychotropic medications can have dangerous interactions with drugs commonly used in anesthesia, some of which can be life-threatening. In this review, we describe the current anesthetic considerations for patients on psychotropic drug therapies, including antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, anxiolytics, and stimulants. The pharmacology, side effects, and potential drug interactions of the commonly prescribed psychotropic drug therapies with anesthetic agents are described. Further, we highlight the current recommendations regarding the cessation and continuation of these medications during the perioperative period.