Every October, the American Society of Anesthesiologists [the ASA] hosts the largest medical specialty meeting of its kind for thousands and thousands of anesthesiologists from around the world. This year’s meeting is being held in San Francisco from October 13th to 17th.

To recognize the importance of anesthesia in the evolution of surgery, and to commemorate the first public demonstration of surgical anesthesia administered to a patient undergoing surgery [by William Morton on October 16th, 1846], called “World Anesthesia Day”, I present a different episode of the Strange Daze podcast each day of the meeting.

Today’s Episode is On Pins and Needles. It’s a true story about trying to master spinal anesthesia. While spinal anesthesia can be a beautiful and elegant alternative to general anesthesia, every anesthetic technique has limitations, and dealing with the limitations of spinal anesthesia can be a terrifying experience for the anesthesia resident.