Designing and Implementing a Competency-Based Training Program for Anesthesiology Residents at the University of Ottawa.

Competency-based medical education is gaining traction as a solution to address the challenges associated with the current time-based models of physician training. Competency-based medical education is an outcomes-based approach that involves identifying the abilities required of physicians and then designing the curriculum to support the achievement and assessment of these competencies. This paradigm defies the assumption that competence is achieved based on time spent on rotations and instead requires residents to demonstrate competence.

Impact of anesthetic handover on mortality and morbidity in cardiac surgery: a cohort study.

Objective: Clinical handover is a critical moment in patient care. The authors tested the hypothesis that handover of anesthesia care is associated with increased mortality and morbidity in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Design: This was a single-center, retrospective cohort study of prospectively collected data.

Severe tracheobronchial compression in a patient with Turner's syndrome undergoing repair of a complex aorto-subclavian aneurysm: anesthesia perspectives.

We present a case of severe tracheobronchial compression from a complex aorto-subclavian aneurysm in a patient with Turner's syndrome undergoing open surgical repair. Significant airway compression is a challenging situation and requires careful preoperative preparation, maintenance of spontaneous breathing when possible, and consideration of having an alternative source of oxygenation and circulation established prior to induction of general anesthesia. Cardiopulmonary monitoring is essential for safe general anesthesia and diagnosis of unexpected intraoperative events.

Impact of subglottic suctioning on the incidence of pneumonia after cardiac surgery: a retrospective observational study.

Objective: Continuous aspiration of subglottic secretions (CASS) has been found to decrease the incidence of pneumonia in the general intensive care unit (ICU) population, but its benefit in cardiac surgery patients is unclear. The present study aimed to determine whether the routine use of CASS in cardiac surgical patients was associated with decreased pneumonia.

Design: A retrospective, single-center observational study.

Impact of early renal recovery on survival after cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury.

Background: Cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury (CSA-AKI) is a major postoperative complication. Although some early recovery is common, its effect on long-term outcomes is unclear. We tested the hypothesis that early renal recovery after CSA-AKI is independently associated with improved long-term survival.

Glycosylated hemoglobin levels and outcome in non-diabetic cardiac surgery patients.

Purpose: In diabetics, elevated preoperative hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels are associated with increased complication rates after cardiac surgery. While many non-diabetics also have elevated HbA1c, the relationship with outcome in these patients is not well understood. Therefore, in a cohort of non-diabetic patients, we tested the hypothesis that preoperative HbA1c is associated with early mortality risk after cardiac surgery.