Department of Anesthesiology

October 29, 2020

Histamine circuits in brain reward center

Histamine — commonly associated with allergies — also has a signaling role in the brain’s reward center and may offer a novel target for treating addiction.

By Leigh MacMillan
October 22, 2020

NIAAA director Koob set for Nov. 5 virtual Discovery Lecture

The Discovery Lecture Series launches this fall with a webinar format, the first featuring George Koob, PhD, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health.

By Leigh MacMillan
Patient Clearissa Griggs gets a pre-surgical check from Caroline Wilburn, RN, BSN, and attending anesthesiologist Chris Canlas, MD, during Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s “Touching Hands” Outreach Day.
August 24, 2020

Event continues VUMC tradition of providing free hand surgeries

For the fourth straight year, VUMC surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses and support staff provided free surgeries for underinsured individuals with chronic upper extremity conditions such as carpel tunnel syndrome and cysts.

By Jill Clendening
August 24, 2020

Land of plenty (of opioids)

Surgical patients are being given more opioids than they need for postsurgical pain management, raising the risk of addiction.

By Paul Govern
August 5, 2020

Study finds aerobic exercise spurs endorphins, relieves low back pain

Six weeks of aerobic exercise can lead to sustained increases in endogenous opioid function and significant relief for chronic low back pain, according to a randomized controlled trial by Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Stephen Bruehl, PhD, and colleagues, reported in Pain.

By Paul Govern
gloved hand handling sterile surgical tools
July 20, 2020

Post-surgical bleeding associated with more deaths when compared to blood clots after surgery

Post-surgical bleeding is associated with more deaths than blood clots from surgery, according to a Vanderbilt University Medical Center study published in the journal Anesthesia & Analgesia.

By Craig Boerner
June 9, 2020

VUMC Obstetric Anesthesiology named a Center of Excellence by the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology

Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Division of Obstetric Anesthesiology has been designated as a Center of Excellence (COE) by the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology (SOAP).
By VUMC News and Communications
June 9, 2020

New physician spotlight: Edward Yaghmour

By Doug Campbell
June 8, 2020

When rankings are unfounded

There are many good reasons to survey anesthesiology patient satisfaction but ranking individual clinicians isn’t one of them, the authors of a new study conclude.
By Paul Govern
May 27, 2020

Collaborative project from VU and VUMC improves intubation box safety for COVID-19 caregivers

As hospital and health care staff across the country continue learning more about the transmission and spread of COVID-19, caregivers for coronavirus patients continue adapting to the changing needs and best practices for personal protective equipment (PPE).
By Spencer Turney
May 21, 2020

Rounding based on acuity helps preserve attention of clinicians

Multidisciplinary teams conducting daily rounds in intensive care units will typically work their way down hallways, going from one patient to the next based on spatial proximity.
By Paul Govern
April 20, 2020

Damage, disruption, delirium

New findings suggest that treatments that decrease oxidative damage might help with postoperative delirium that occurs in up to 30% of cardiac surgery patients.
By Paul Govern
April 16, 2020

Transporter’s role in gut barrier

A disease-associated mutation in a transporter protein impairs gut barrier function, leading to gastrointestinal disease and chronic infections.
By Leigh MacMillan