Liability in the Time of Coronavirus: The Ethical Necessity of Expanding the Legal Protections Afforded to Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Although discussions have begun regarding the ways in which healthcare providers and individuals in fields adjacent to healthcare might be exposed to legal sanctions involving COVID-19, the complete scope of the legal risks is still largely unknown. This essay explores how current laws in the United States fail to offer adequate protections: (1) to healthcare workers (HCW) practicing under significantly altered standards of care, and (2) to individuals involved in the allocation of scarce resource decision-making process. Using research on Second Victim Syndrome and Medical Malpractice Stress Syndrome, legal protections are presented to provide HCW a form of "moral buffering" to help prevent further traumatizing them for shouldering extraordinary burdens during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Course: Update for Nurse Anesthetists-Optimizing Mechanical Ventilation During General Anesthesia.

Optimal mechanical ventilatory support is a vital component of intraoperative anesthesia care, lung protection, and minimizing postoperative pulmonary sequela. Although concepts surrounding ventilation can be multifaceted and ambiguous, a pragmatic approach coupled with contemporary evidence and skilled assessments will facilitate ideal intraoperative management. Effective mechanical ventilation is dependent on obtaining the best pulmonary mechanics, including compliance, resistance, and gas exchange.