Anesthesia Patient Safety Podcast

Hosted by Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation

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Episodes

310

Latest episode

Jun 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

The official podcast of the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) is hosted by Alli Bechtel, MD, featuring the latest information and news in perioperative and anesthesia patient safety. The APSF podcast is intended for anesthesiologists, anesthetists, clinicians and other professionals with an interest in anesthesiology, and patient safety advocates around the world. The Anesthesia Patient Safety Podcast delivers the best of the APSF Newsletter and website directly to you, so you can listen on the go! This includes some of the most important COVID-19 information on airway management, ventilators, personal protective equipment (PPE), drug information, and elective surgery recommendations. Don't forget to check out APSF.org for the show notes that accompany each episode, and email us at podcast@APSF.org with your suggestions for future episodes. Visit us at APSF.org/podcast and at @APSForg on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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60 recent

June 16, 2026Episode 31113 min

#311 From Cable Chaos To One Step Airway Access

Twenty-two steps to reach an airway is not a quirky workflow problem, it’s a patient safety problem. We’re turning our attention to a neuro-interventional radiology (Neuro IR) suite where cables, monitors, and a poorly positioned anesthesia machine created a cramped, high-friction non-operating room anesthesia (NORA) environment. Joined by John Edwards, CRNA, we unpack how a real-world quality improvement project at the University of Kentucky Medical Center turned staff frustration into an evidence-based anesthesia workspace redesign.We start with what triggered the change: frontline clinicians describing barriers to optimal patient care, unsafe ergonomics, and a layout that made simple tasks unnecessarily hard. From there, we connect the dots to broader NORA safety expectations, including the American Society of Anesthesiologists guidance on having sufficient space, equipment access, and the ability to reach the patient quickly. Them, the team brings anesthesia staff, interventional radiology personnel, and facilities managers together to redesign the room with minimal disruption.You’ll hear the practical interventions that made the difference, like cable management using existing ceiling infrastructure, switching to a more compact anesthesia machine, and repositioning equipment to restore clear access to the patient. The results are striking: smoother movement, less clutter, improved morale, and a dramatic reduction in the distance to the airway. If you work in any NORA location, this is a blueprint for safer anesthesia workflows.Subscribe for more NORA safety and patient safety insights, share this with a colleague who works off-site, and leave a review to help more clinicians find the show.For show notes & transcript, visit our episode page at apsf.org: https://www.apsf.org/podcast/311-from-cable-chaos-to-one-step-airway-access/© 2026, The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation

June 9, 202613 min

#310 Moisture Matters In Anesthesia Circuits

Condensation in an anesthesia circuit looks harmless until it starts skewing flow sensor readings or creating the kind of warm, wet environment where microbes can thrive. We pick up the story after the investigation into moisture and mold concerns in GE operating room ventilators, then move straight into the questions clinicians asked most: which filters matter, how low-flow anesthesia changes the moisture equation, and what “moisture mitigation” actually means at the bedside.We walk through APSF guidance on filtration, including why a high-quality filter between the expiratory limb and the anesthesia machine is a key defense for keeping respiratory pathogens out of the workstation. We also talk about what HME filters do well for airway humidity and reducing moisture entering the machine, where their limits are (especially moisture generated by CO2 absorption), and why sidestream gas sampling lines deserve more attention in infection prevention and anesthesia machine protection.Then we share GE Healthcare’s response, including what’s universal across modern anesthesia breathing systems, what features support moisture management, and when optional condensers may help depending on clinical usage patterns.If this topic affects your OR workflow, subscribe, share the episode with a colleague, and leave a review so more anesthesia professionals can find these moisture management and patient safety insights.For show notes & transcript, visit our episode page at apsf.org: https://www.apsf.org/podcast/310-moisture-matters-in-anesthesia-circuits/© 2026, The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation

June 2, 2026Episode 30915 min

#309 Mold Risk In Anesthesia Workstations

Black particles in a breathing system are the kind of finding that makes every anesthesia professional stop and look twice. We’re sharing what a large health system uncovered after concerns for mold and moisture accumulation surfaced inside certain GE Healthcare anesthesia workstations used in operating rooms, especially during longer cases and in humid conditions. What started with a routine inspection quickly scaled into a broad audit of OR ventilators, a review of internal moisture points, and an urgent push for real-world mitigation.We walk through what the investigation found, what cultures grew, and the question everyone asks first: what is the risk to patients? We discuss why the available evidence suggests the infectious risk is likely minimal when high-quality heat and moisture exchange (HME) filtration and breathing circuit filters are used correctly, and why the team still pulled affected machines from service for sterilization per manufacturer instructions. Patient safety isn’t only about infection, though, and we also cover how excess condensate can affect flow sensors and tidal volume accuracy.Then we get concrete about prevention. We break down where moisture comes from inside an anesthesia ventilator, how low-flow anesthesia and rebreathing can increase water production in the circuit, and why simply turning up fresh gas flow isn’t the right fix when cost and environmental impact matter. You’ll hear the day-to-day moisture mitigation strategies that were implemented, including education, routine moisture and mold checks, overnight handling of circuits and sensors, and why add-on condenser drainage may be necessary for older compatible models.If you want a practical checklist mindset for anesthesia workstation maintenance, OR ventilator safety, and moisture management, this is for you. Subscribe, share with your colleagues, and leave a review so more teams can spot problems early and keep patients safe.For show notes & transcript, visit our episode page at apsf.org: https://www.apsf.org/podcast/309-mold-risk-in-anesthesia-workstations/© 2026, The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation

May 26, 2026Episode 30814 min

#308 We Break Down The Latest Evidence On Safer Anesthesia Care

Delirium, pain, and prolonged ventilation can feel like “expected” bumps in perioperative care until you look closely at the data. We walk through four recent APSF In the Literature reviews and pull out what’s actually actionable for anesthesia patient safety right now, with clear numbers and real-world implications.First, we dig into a randomized controlled trial of S-ketamine for elderly patients undergoing total hip or total knee arthroplasty under neuraxial anesthesia. With general anesthesia out of the equation, the study reports a notable drop in postoperative delirium, raising practical questions about when S-ketamine belongs in your plan and how you weigh neuroprotection alongside analgesia.Next, we shift to the ICU after cardiac surgery and examine evidence on dexmedetomidine sedation and duration of invasive mechanical ventilation. We talk through the key nuance: dexmedetomidine is associated with longer ventilation overall, yet may shorten ventilation time in patients with a high “sedation burden,” highlighting how stacking sedatives can change the outcome you’re trying to optimize.We then move to labor and delivery with a large prospective cohort on pain during cesarean delivery with neuraxial anesthesia, including higher risk with urgent cases and epidural top-ups, plus an important signal on language and the need for interpreters. We close with a pediatric trial where EEG-guided sevoflurane titration reduces emergence delirium and speeds recovery in the PACU.Subscribe for weekly, evidence-focused anesthesia insights, share this with a colleague, and leave a review so more clinicians can find the latest perioperative patient safety updates.For show notes & transcript, visit our episode page at apsf.org: https://www.apsf.org/podcast/308-we-break-down-the-latest-evidence-on-safer-anesthesia-care/© 2026, The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation

May 19, 2026Episode 30717 min

#307 Perioperative Safety In Low And Middle-Income Countries

The world has the knowledge to make anesthesia safer, but too often it’s the basics that are missing where the need is greatest. We’re talking about perioperative patient safety in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where a smaller share of surgical volume can still carry a massive share of perioperative death and disability. That imbalance isn’t inevitable, and it isn’t solved by one tool or one training course. It changes when systems change. We walk through the biggest systemic barriers starting with anesthesia workforce shortages and the downstream effects on access, delays, and confidence in care. We also dig into national surgical, obstetric, and anesthesia plans (NSOAPs) and how partnerships with organizations like the World Health Organization and the World Federation of Societies of Anesthesiologists can help countries set targets, build capacity, and track progress. From there, we get painfully practical: monitors, oxygen, essential medicines, and rescue drugs. We discuss the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist, what makes implementation succeed, and why the WFSA International Standards for a Safe Practice of Anesthesia matter as both a minimum safety floor and a roadmap for improvement. We close on a critical question for quality improvement everywhere: how do you build accountability when risk-adjusted outcomes data is hard to collect, and what solutions are most realistic? Subscribe for more anesthesia patient safety conversations, share this episode with a colleague, and leave a review so more clinicians can find the show.For show notes & transcript, visit our episode page at apsf.org: https://www.apsf.org/podcast/307-perioperative-safety-in-low-and-middle-income-countries/© 2026, The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation

May 12, 2026Episode 30614 min

#306 Venezuelan Ancestry Anesthesia Alert

Catastrophic neurologic injury after a routine anesthetic is the kind of signal that stops you in your tracks, and that’s exactly why we’re talking about new perioperative recommendations for patients with maternal Venezuelan ancestry. We’ve seen reports of otherwise healthy adults and children who deteriorated after general anesthesia, with sevoflurane appearing repeatedly in the documented events. That pattern has led the American Society of Anesthesiologists and the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia to issue updated guidance aimed at preventing harm while the science catches up. We walk through what clinicians need to know about the suspected mitochondrial link and why maternal lineage matters for risk assessment. We also discuss why a negative family history does not reliably protect a patient and why laboratories must be explicitly alerted to the mutation of interest because it has been historically labeled a normal variant. Then, we get practical: how to screen for maternal Venezuelan heritage with care and sensitivity, how to explain the question without implying anything about immigration status, and how to approach anesthetic planning when definitive genetic testing is unavailable. We cover current thinking on avoiding volatile anesthetics, when regional anesthesia may help, considerations around propofol infusions, processed EEG monitoring, and postoperative observation for return to neurocognitive baseline. If this is helpful, please subscribe, share the episode with your team, and leave a review so more clinicians can find these patient safety updates.For show notes & transcript, visit our episode page at apsf.org: https://www.apsf.org/podcast/306-venezuelan-ancestry-anesthesia-alert/© 2026, The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation

May 5, 2026Episode 30515 min

#305 Lead Infinitely

The fastest way to weaken patient safety isn’t a missing checklist, it’s a team that stops trusting each other. We dig into “infinite anesthesia” and the next step, “leading infinitely,” a practical relational leadership approach designed to build psychological safety, empathy, humility, and civility in perioperative care.We share why anesthesia professionals are uniquely positioned to lead across the full health system: we work at the intersection of surgeons, proceduralists, nurses, and hospital leaders, and we see how small culture signals impact big operational and safety outcomes. You’ll hear how trust-based teamwork can improve clinician well-being, strengthen system resilience, and support measurable gains in patient outcomes and retention.We also break down the Lead Infinitely workshop series and what makes it different: teams learn together, practice concrete behaviors, and graduate with a strategic plan instead of a solo certificate. The conversation moves from training to scale, including why research, early wins, and credible champions matter if this work is going to spread beyond the OR and into onboarding, governance, and daily clinical practice.If you want your workplace to feel safer, calmer, and more effective, listen now, share with a colleague, and subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next. After you listen, leave a review and tell us what leadership behavior you want to see more of on your team.For show notes & transcript, visit our episode page at apsf.org: https://www.apsf.org/podcast/305-lead-infinitely/© 2026, The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation

April 28, 2026Episode 30415 min

#304 Infinite Anesthesia Is Not Unlimited Propofol

Workforce shortages and rising demand are squeezing perioperative teams from every side and that pressure can turn colleagues into rivals. We push back on that mindset and explore a different way to think about the future: “infinite anesthesia,” a long-term approach to anesthesia patient care and anesthesia patient safety that prizes trust, teamwork, and a workplace where every clinician is valued. We share highlights from the APSF Newsletter article “Leading Infinitely in Perioperative Care” and hear directly from author, Dr. Matt Sherrer, on why relational leadership has to extend beyond anesthesia, nursing, and the operating room. When surgeons, proceduralists, and hospital leaders join the same conversation, improvement scales faster and sticks longer. We also break down the “finite vs infinite game” idea and translate it into concrete behaviors: building trusting teams, learning from worthy rivals instead of fighting them, staying flexible with systems thinking and human factors, and having the courage to name tension while still celebrating progress. Then we get tactical with “crossing the chasm,” a model from the technology adoption lifecycle that explains why great ideas stall without early adopters and strong relationships. If poor communication drives preventable harm, civility and clear dialogue are not soft skills, they are core safety tools. We close with a candid reflection from Dr. Richard Dutton on how scope battles and politics can impair access and quality when there is already more than enough work for everyone. Subscribe for the next conversation, share this with a colleague, and leave a review so more perioperative teams can build safer systems together.For show notes & transcript, visit our episode page at apsf.org: https://www.apsf.org/podcast/304-infinite-anesthesia-is-not-unlimited-propofol/© 2026, The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation

April 21, 2026Episode 30312 min

#303 Measles in the OR

Measles can walk into your OR before the rash ever shows up, and that’s what makes perioperative measles planning so high stakes. We break down the timing that drives everything: incubation, the contagious window from four days before rash onset through four days after, and how recent exposure during an outbreak should change your elective surgery decisions.We also zoom out to the bigger picture behind today’s resurgence of measles, including declining vaccination rates and travel-related reintroduction. Then we get practical about what anesthesia professionals need at the bedside: how to confirm immunity status, what symptoms and complications to watch for, and why supportive care is still the core treatment strategy since there are no antivirals. We talk through high-risk groups, from infants to pregnant and immunocompromised patients, and why measles immune suppression can create downstream risk for secondary infection and delayed wound healing well after the acute illness.On the infection control side, we outline the precautions that protect your team and your facility: strict contact and airborne precautions and smart workflow choices like limiting staff to those with confirmed immunity status and using a negative pressure room for urgent or emergent procedures when possible. We also cover post-exposure prophylaxis options that can prevent or blunt infection, including vaccine timing and when immune globulin is indicated.For the full checklist mindset, we point you to the featured APSF article and the summary table that pulls the perioperative considerations together. Subscribe, share this with a colleague who takes call, and leave a review so more clinicians can find clear guidance on measles anesthesia safety and operating room infection control.For show notes & transcript, visit our episode page at apsf.org: https://www.apsf.org/podcast/303-measles-in-the-or/© 2026, The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation

April 14, 2026Episode 30217 min

#302 Reusable Versus Single-Use Airway Devices When Seconds Count

A difficult airway is hard enough in a modern hospital. Now imagine managing it on a ship, far from resupply, where “availability supersedes preference” and a device that worked last month might quietly drift out of spec. That’s the tension we unpack while exploring reusable versus single-use airway devices in humanitarian anesthesia and why planning is what protects patients when seconds count.We’re joined by Matt McGee, a Navy anesthesiologist who served as department head for anesthesiology aboard the USNS Comfort during Continuing Promise 2025. He walks us through what his team saw with reusable airway tools after repeated sterilization and handling, including progressive deformation of rigid stylets and how that kind of performance degradation can turn into delay during unanticipated difficult airway management. From there, we zoom out to the broader patient safety implications: infection control, sterilization capacity, operational throughput in multiple ORs, and the very real consequences of depending on a fragile supply chain for single-use equipment.We also take sustainability and ethics seriously. Single-use airway equipment can deliver consistency and simplicity, but it increases medical waste and can strain host-nation disposal systems, raising environmental stewardship questions that belong in the same conversation as laryngoscopes and video laryngoscopes. The takeaway is practical and actionable: build a hybrid airway equipment strategy, monitor reusable devices with systematic inspection protocols, plan redundant procurement buffers for disposables, and coordinate pre-deployment waste management with host partners.If you care about anesthesia patient safety in austere environments, global health, or perioperative systems planning, hit subscribe, share this with a colleague headed on mission work, and leave a review with your best tip for building redundancy without creating unnecessary waste.For show notes & transcript, visit our episode page at apsf.org: https://www.apsf.org/podcast/302-reusable-versus-single-use-airway-devices-when-seconds-count/© 2026, The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation