NY Times on sunday

[maceo]

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in sunday's NY times news paper in the week in review section editorials there were a few letters to the editor about "doctors, nurses and anesthesia.". anyone catch it. I have the copy Ive been meaning to scan the article and post it here but didnt have time today. you can probably look it up online. The president of the ASA weighed in.

 

[gaspasser2004]

Unfortunately, it wasn't published, but here it goes:

To the Editor:

Much like aviation, anesthesia has become so safe that it is difficult to detect adverse outcomes between highly trained and lesser trained providers. My question to the New York Times editorial board is whether they or a loved one would be willing to undergo anesthesia without the involvement of a physician anesthesiologist in the name of increasing cost savings to the health care system as a whole.

Sincerely,
Gaspasser2004, M.D.

 

[lord_jeebus]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/12/opinion/l12anesthesia.html?ref=letters

 

[fakin' the funk]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/12/opinion/l12anesthesia.html?ref=letters

If we're going to compare anesthesia to aviation (and I personally think it's an appropriate and effective comparison), we should ask further questions: what happens to Flight 1549 without Captain "Sully" Sullenberger, and are we willing to pay cheaper airfares for it?

 

[maceo]

If we're going to compare anesthesia to aviation (and I personally think it's an appropriate and effective comparison), we should ask further questions: what happens to Flight 1549 without Captain "Sully" Sullenberger, and are we willing to pay cheaper airfares for it?

excellent analogy. without the experience of sully.. 300 people dead. I'd say us air and sully are feeling pretty good after that near death experience.

 

[Soon2BENT]

the irony of the analogy is that co-pilot of the "Miracle on the Hudson" is speaking at the ASA this year.

 

[BLADEMDA]

the irony of the analogy is that co-pilot of the "Miracle on the Hudson" is speaking at the ASA this year.

No irony. If all CRNAs acted like that co-pilot did on flight 1549 we wouldn't have any issue with them. That co-pilot knew the value of Captain Sully and was ready to hand over the plane when needed to the most experienced person. We need our co-pilots to do the same

 

[leaverus]

No irony. If all CRNAs acted like that co-pilot did on flight 1549 we wouldn't have any issue with them. That co-pilot knew the value of Captain Sully and was ready to hand over the plane when needed to the most experienced person. We need our co-pilots to do the same

Meh, Blade you take the analogy a little too far. Co-pilots eventually become pilots in their own right one day . A CRNA, however, does not have the capacity to ever become a "pilot." It's probably more accurate to think of them as the stewardesses.