Anesthesiologists should take responsibility for preoperative planning and intraoperative management in the treatment of patients with congenital heart disease, according to guidelines published by the American Heart Association in Circulation.
According to the guidelines, reported in Medscape, preoperative planning before elective surgery should involve experts in adult CHD, anesthesiology and surgical services. The planning team should obtain and review the original operative and catheterization reports, and an anesthesiologist familiar with the physiology associated with the patient's CHD should perform intraoperative management.
The statement authors concluded that there is an urgent need for programs designed to facilitate the smooth movement from pediatric CHD patients to adult healthcare environments. They said they hope transition programs will become the standard of care, making it more likely that patients with complex chronic illness can achieve their full potential under appropriate medical surveillance.
Read the Medscape report on the AHA guidelines.
Read more on anesthesia:
-ASA Updates Guidelines on Chronic Pain Management
-Study: Obese Patients Twice as Likely to Develop Airway Problems During General Anesthesia
-Anesthesia Highest Earner of All Hospital-Based Physician Specialties
According to the guidelines, reported in Medscape, preoperative planning before elective surgery should involve experts in adult CHD, anesthesiology and surgical services. The planning team should obtain and review the original operative and catheterization reports, and an anesthesiologist familiar with the physiology associated with the patient's CHD should perform intraoperative management.
The statement authors concluded that there is an urgent need for programs designed to facilitate the smooth movement from pediatric CHD patients to adult healthcare environments. They said they hope transition programs will become the standard of care, making it more likely that patients with complex chronic illness can achieve their full potential under appropriate medical surveillance.
Read the Medscape report on the AHA guidelines.
Read more on anesthesia:
-ASA Updates Guidelines on Chronic Pain Management
-Study: Obese Patients Twice as Likely to Develop Airway Problems During General Anesthesia
-Anesthesia Highest Earner of All Hospital-Based Physician Specialties