Anesthesia Guidebook

I’m joined today by Nate & Lien Woodin who are married and the parents of two boys – aged 6 & 9 as this show comes out on the first of October 2021. If you’re a critical care nurse, medical student, resident or SRNA – or a spouse or partner to one of these folks – and you’re wondering how to hold it together as a parent & partner during anesthesia training or even if...

This episode was originally published in April 2019 on From the Head of the Bed… a podcast for the anesthesia community . In this podcast, Skyler provides a thorough overview of local anesthetics including relevant anatomy and physiology (i.e. nerve fibers, sodium channels, pKa, etc), types of local anesthetics and factors that effect onset, potency, duration of action and absorption. We tou...

This episode was originally published in April 2019 on From the Head of the Bed… a podcast for the anesthesia community . In this podcast, Ashley walks us through an overview of the most common IV anesthesia induction agents. We cover propofol, ketamine, etomidate, barbiturates (e.g. methohexital), dexmedetomidine and benzodiazepines (e.g. midazolam). A run down of the mechanism of action, d...

This episode was originally released in April 2019 on From the Head of the Bed… a podcast for the anesthesia community .  In this podcast, Skyler walks us through the pharmacodynamics of volatile anesthetics. We talk extensively about the concepts related to minimum alveolar concentration (MAC), the mechanism of action of volatile anesthetics and the physiologic response to volatiles. You do...

This episode was originally released in April 2019 on From the Head of the Bed… a podcast for the anesthesia community . In this podcast, Skyler gives a succinct run down on the pharmacokinetics of volatile anesthetics. We talk about uptake, distribution, elimination and metabolism and unpack concepts such as blood gas solubility, oil gas solubility, Fa/Fi curves and more. You don’t want to...

In this episode, which was originally released in April of 2019 on From the Head of the Bed… a podcast for the anesthesia community , Ashley provides an incredibly detailed run down of the anesthesia machine: the flow of gas through the machine, high, intermediate and low pressure system components in the machine, variable bypass vaporizer structure & function, relevant gas laws, safety...

In this episode, Ashley and I talk through how to set up an operating room anesthesia workstation, perform a preoperative patient assessment and progress through an IV induction and intubation. You’ll hear Ashley walk you through everything from how to do a quick machine set up, where to put your tape, how to introduce yourself to patients & work through a preop assessment and how to pro...

Ben Levin, MD This podcast was the last episode I published on From the Head of the Bed and originally came out on July 4, 2020.  In August of that year, I launched Anesthesia Guidebook and this episode is being re-released on September 16, 2021.    In this episode, I have the privilege of speaking with Ben Levin, MD on the perioperative management of patients with left ventricular assist devices...

This episode was originally released on From the Head of the Bed on March 3, 2019 and recorded in Scottsdale, Arizona. Tom Baribeault, DNP, CRNA and Jayme Reuter, MS, CRNA talk with me about opioid free anesthesia. We discuss the progression to opioid free anesthesia (OFA), where OFA fits into enhanced recovery programs and the specific techniques of how to provide a comfortable, opioid-free perio...

This episode was originally released in April of 2020 on From the Head of the Bed… a podcast for the anesthesia community and is being re-released on 5 September 2021 on Anesthesia Guidebook. In this episode, I speak with Shane Garner, MS, CRNA, NSPM-C about an introduction & overview of regional anesthesia. We discuss: opioid-free anesthesia how to gain experience in regional anesthesia...

Study Link: http://depaul.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9Y32tyhtj6i8GZU Nicole Kellogg, BSN, SRNA and Elizabeth Fullford, BSN, SRNA join me to discuss the anesthetic considerations for cannabis users. This podcast is part of a study they’re conducting on the efficacy of an educational podcast for SRNAs and CRNAs. PLEASE COMPLETE THE PRE-SURVEY AND POST-SURVEY HERE. The study will be live through...

In this episode you’re going to hear from Shane Garner, MS, CRNA, NSPM-C on the 5 Keys for Achieving Financial Independence.  This show was originally released in April of 2020 on From the Head of the Bed and I’m pulling it forward to Anesthesia Guidebook on August 30, 2021.   I’m pumped Shane brought this intel to the podcast… anesthesia providers are high income earners but it’s rare to see any...

Dr Matthew Willis is the CRNA who created and produces the educational app Master Anesthesia, which is available from the App Store and Google Play Store.   I’ve been using this app for the last several months and I’m super impressed at a few things: it’s packed with real-world information that’s evidence based from case tips to pharmacology the calculator is amazing… it’s so easy to use and gives...

This episode is coming out on August 21, 2021 but it FIRST came out way back on September 19, 2015.   The show is on emotional intelligence of SRNAs with Dr Shawn Collins, DNP, PhD, CRNA. At the time of the interview, Dr Shawn Collins was the nurse anesthesia program director and the interim dean of the College of Health & Human Sciences at Western Carolina University (WCU).  I was s...

This episode originally appeared on the podcast From the Head of the Bed on August 6, 2015. It’s re-released here on August 17, 2021. Dr Shawn Collins, DNP, PhD, CRNA and I discuss the transition from Master’s level training for CRNAs to practice doctorates, most commonly the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree or DNP.   Every CRNA program must transition to the doctorate level for new classes...

This podcast follows up on the previous show which discussed free open access medical education (FOAM) and the use of social media in anesthesia education. Here, I discuss the power of asynchronous learning to shape the future of anesthesia education. The power of asynchronous learning comes from the ability of content experts to produce something truly informative and engaging once and then make...

Free open access medical education – or FOAM – is any medical educational content that’s shared freely on open access platforms, meaning the public can consume it without having to be a member of an organization or pay a subscription fee.  The reason it’s significant is that it brings evolving science & literature – and discussions around the art & science of medicin...

In this episode, I tell you a story about whitewater paddling and unpack the concept of flow described by psychologist and author Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, PhD. I also present the Can-O-Calm for the first time on the podcast. This secret, magical, weightless and even sterile (when you need it to be) tool will help get you through the most dire of circumstances with your head right, your vision clea...

This podcast discusses deliberate practice, a concept developed by renowned cognitive psychologist Anders Ericsson, PhD. Deliberate practice is the kind of practice that top performers employ in order to reach the very highest levels of excellence across domains. Ericsson studied countless musicians, athletes, dancers, chess players, medical professionals and others to uncover the secrets and powe...

This episode originally released on From the Head of the Bed in February of 2017. Denham Ward, MD, PhD joined me to talk about expertise in anesthesia. At the time of this recording, Dr Ward was the director of the Academy at Maine Medical Center Institute for Teaching Excellence and professor of anesthesiology at Tufts University School of Medicine. He is Emeritus Professor and Chair of Anesthesi...

In this episode Dr Cynthia Farina and I talk about the mid-to-late phase of your career as a CRNA.  Every stage of your career has unique challenges & opportunities. There’s so much attention focused on getting into CRNA school, the SRNA/resident/training phase and becoming a new CRNA… this conversation is for the part of your career farther down the road. Dr Farina is a...

I caught back up with Eric Carlson, CRNA to discuss his recent retirement and advice he has for anesthesia providers still in the thick of it. Eric was interviewed by Kristin Lowrance, MSN, CRNA way back in 2015 for our podcast “From the Head of the Bed.” We just re-released that podcast as #28 – Can’t Intubate, Can’t Oxygenate (CICO) during stat C-section: a case study with Eric...

This podcast was originally published on March 1, 2015. In this episode Kristin Lowrance, MSN, CRNA talks with Eric Carlson, CRNA about a case where he was called for a stat Cesarean section and after a rapid sequence induction, he could not intubate or oxygenate the patient. The case was at 2AM and Eric was the only anesthesia provider in house. The other on-call anesthesia provider was at least...

This episode outlines the overnight transition to same-day surgery & discharge for total knee patients at Maine Medical Center. Surgeon Adam Rana, MD was informed on a Tuesday afternoon in December 2020 that elective cases requiring overnight hospital stays were being canceled effective immediately. He reached out to physician anesthesiologist Ryan Mountjoy, MD, along with others, and the very...

Paul Samuels, MD is a pediatric physician anesthesiologist who works with SmileMD to provide mobile anesthesia for dental offices. We talk about the unique characteristics of working in a mobile anesthesia setting for pediatric dental cases. Topics include: skills required to excel as an anesthesia provider in a mobile, pediatric setting preoperative screening of patients patient safety during ane...