Since British physician Edward Jenner pioneered vaccines in the West in 1796, vaccines have revolutionized health care, substantially increasing human health and longevity in the face of infectious diseases spanning smallpox to COVID-19. A record several months following the first release by Chinese researchers of the COVID-19 virus genetic sequence in January 2020, labs had
Risks associated with anesthesia have declined dramatically over the past decades. Mortality rates, which were once as high as 1 in 2,500, now stand at about 1 in 13,000. Young children and infants, however, are more vulnerable to adverse events due to the nature of their physiology. One study, the 2014-2015 Anesthesia Practice in Children
Infection of the surgical site following spine surgery is a dangerous post-operative complication that can result in prolonged recovery time, poor wound healing, the need for further treatment, as well as more serious consequences like sepsis, organ failure, and even death.1 Even though incision sites are kept sterile throughout the procedure, infections are relatively common:
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine accounted for a mere one percent of overall physician-patient interactions. Now, at its peak, the Harvard Business Review reports that virtual consultations make up 50-80 percent of appointments. Telemedicine has been hugely beneficial for a multitude of reasons: it has made scheduling easier, increased overall convenience for patients, and
The World Health Organization has recorded over 100 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and around 2.5 million deaths, in a pandemic that has devastated communities worldwide (World Health Organization). In addition to the characteristics that make COVID-19 a deadly acute disease, increasing evidence points to a long-term syndrome that afflicts certain patients. The ‘long-hauler’ phenomenon first
Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) is a serious inflammatory condition that affects the entire body. A patient is diagnosed with SIRS if they meet 2 or more of the following criteria outlined by the 1992 American College of Chest Physicians/Society of Critical Care Medicine consensus conference: the patient’s temperature is greater than 38°C (100.4°F) or
Ophthalmic surgery presents unique challenges to the anesthesiologist [1]. The patient population varies widely, from an infant requiring strabismus surgery to an elderly patient requiring cataract surgery [1]. It is not uncommon for patients with rare genetic syndromes to present for eye surgery [2]. Since most patients undergoing ophthalmic surgeries are elderly with multiple comorbidities,