Code Blue in the Operating Room-pharmacy is on the way!

Background: Pharmacists have become an integrated part of the cardiac arrest (Code Blue) response team in the emergency department and inpatient settings. However, the attendance of pharmacists at intraoperative codes is less established.

Objective: The purpose of this paper was to describe the creation of the Perioperative Pharmacy Attendance for Intraoperative Codes Safety Initiative, report the impact it had on the intraoperative emergency code team, and discuss the limitations and difficulties experienced by the pharmacy department so that other institutions may have a foundation on which to build similar programs.

Perioperative Emergencies: Who, What, When, Where, Why?

Objective(s): Throughout the last several decades, the perioperative mortality rate from anesthesia care has declined, shifting focus to perioperative emergencies. Data on these emergencies, often referred to as "Anesthesia STAT" calls (STATs), are lacking at adult hospitals. The goal of this study was to determine the etiology of STATs at a major academic medical center and to determine surgical cases and patient comorbid conditions that increase the risk for STATs.