Development of a new generation of propofol.

Purpose Of Review: The current advance in development of a new generation of propofol and its clinical implications are reviewed.

Recent Findings: All currently available formulations of propofol have side effects related to propofol itself, as well as to the emulsion delivery systems. A search for better and safer propofol continues.

Improved Testing Results for International Medical Graduates.

Background: Although it is well known that low scores by residents in their in-training examinations predict failure at eventual certification, there is a paucity of information regarding results with focused intervention.

Methods: Over a two-year period, international medical graduates (IMGs) accepted as CA-1 residents in the Department of Anesthesiology were provided an intensive one-month text-based teaching program focusing on anesthesia-specific medical knowledge. The Anesthesia Knowledge Test® (Metrics Associates, Inc.

Entrapment of pulmonary artery catheter in a suture at the inferior vena cava cannulation site.

Entrapment of a pulmonary artery catheter (Swan-Ganz catheter) in the heart, vena cava, or pulmonary artery is a very rare and serious complication that may lead to life-threatening complications such as cardiac rupture, pulmonary artery rupture, cardiac tamponade, among others, if not recognized and treated early. We report entrapment of a Swan-Ganz catheter in the purse-string suture at the inferior vena cava cannulation site for a patient undergoing aortic valve replacement. This situation required a repeat sternotomy to release the pulmonary artery catheter.