Spinal Pathologies in Obstetric Anesthesia: Neuraxial Risk Assessment and Decision-Making with Tural Alakbarli, MD, MSc, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Drs. Tong J. Gan and Duminda Wijeysundera discuss the article “Intraoperative Hypotension in Patients Having Major Noncardiac Surgery Under General Anesthesia: A Systematic Review of Blood Pressure Optimization Strategies” published in the July 2025 issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia.

Drs. Thomas Hemmerling and Arman Valadkhani discuss the article “Diastolic Versus Systolic or Mean Intraoperative Hypotension as Predictive of Perioperative Myocardial Injury in a White-Box Machine-Learning Model” published in the July 2025 issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia.

Listen as Dr. Elizabeth Malinzak, APSF Liaison to the OpenAnesthesia Editorial Board, is interviewed by Dr. Alli Bechtel of the APSF, our content collaborator and section affiliate. See original podcast here: https://www.apsf.org/podcast/260-openanesthesia-and-the-apsf-achieving-safe-and-quality-anesthesia-care-with-education-innovation/

Show Notes: Welcome to the next installment of the Anesthesia Patient Safety podcast hosted by Alli Bechtel.  This podcast will be an exciting journey towards improved anesthesia patient safety.

Dr. Elizabeth Malinzak takes us behind the scenes of a fascinating educational initiative bridging knowledge gaps in anesthesiology. As a pediatric anesthesiologist at Duke University and liaison between the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation and Open Anesthesia, she’s spearheaded the development of over 30 patient safety and quality improvement summaries designed for today’s learners.

Malinzak reflects on crucial topics like crisis resource management, fatigue mitigation, and handover protocols that weren’t part of traditional training. This educational void inspired her to create accessible, concise resources that meet modern learning preferences. Gone are the days of textbook deep-dives; today’s professionals need searchable, digestible content they can absorb between cases or during brief study sessions.

What makes these summaries particularly valuable is their breadth and collaborative development. Each summary is peer-reviewed and often created through mentoring relationships between experienced clinicians and trainees, creating educational value beyond the finished product.

Malinzak offers a clarifying perspective on how quality improvement relates to patient safety: “Patient safety is the goal… That’s what we want to accomplish with every single patient. Quality improvement is the process… how we get to the goal.” As anesthesiologists face increasingly complex cases and efficiency pressures, this distinction helps practitioners develop systematic approaches to protect vulnerable patients. Looking ahead, she envisions technologies like AI reducing administrative burdens so clinicians can focus entirely on vigilant patient care. Discover these valuable resources by visiting Open Anesthesia’s website and filtering for patient safety topics – you never know which summary might teach you something new today.

We hope that you will check out OpenAnesthesia.org and the OA Summaries.

https://www.openanesthesia.org/about-oa/

https://www.openanesthesia.org/keywords/

This episode was edited and produced by Mike Chan.

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© 2025, The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation

Medical Safety Principles with Tyler P. Morrissey, MD and Megan Nash, DO

Author: Eric R. Heinz, MD, PhD, George Washington University, Washington, DC

Section Editor: Yuriy Bronshteyn

Drs. Edward Nemergut, John Mitchell and Thomas Caruso discuss the article “Pro-Con Debate: Virtual Reality Compared to Augmented Reality for Medical Simulation” published in the June 2025 issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia.

Drs. Edward Nemergut and Samuel Blacker discuss the article “An Exploratory Analysis of ChatGPT Compared to Human Performance With the Anesthesiology Oral Board Examination: Initial Insights and Implications” published in the June 2025 issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia.

When Mistakes Happen: Error Reporting and Breaking Bad News with Casey Quinlan, MD; Matthew Goodmanson, MD; and Katherine R. Gentry, MD, MA

Conflict Management and Resolution with Destiny F. Chau MD, FAAP, MSLOD, ACC