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Goldilocks Anesthesia Gets Push in PRS
Date Published:
Thu, 2010-04-08
One has to admire Barry Friedberg, MD, for almost singlehandedly pushing for reform in anesthesia use and championing fundamental changes in how anesthesiologists conduct themselves, as well as promoting a one-man revolution for change in the kinds of tools in use by "gas passers." The anesthesiology sector hates him with a kind of quiet passion. However, with the passage of time and the proof mounting that the man makes a very GOOD point, many of these invaluable practitioners know, even secretly, that Friedberg is right on the money -- the revolution, the tools, the conduct... it all has to change. Friedberg put forward many of his ideas in a recent article in PSP:
Currently, many anesthesia providers continue to work under the 20th-century concept of treating the brain response by overmedicating. They fear undermedicating patients. However, a safer approach to anesthesia for cosmetic procedures exists. It is new technology that has been scientifically validated and FDA-approved.
Millions of people undergo plastic surgery procedures every year. Some of those cases are restorative, due to accidental disfigurement, birth defects, or corrective secondary to a mastectomy or other operation that may have left them disproportional. The rest of these cases are purely cosmetic in nature.
[Friedberg] has an alternative to general anesthesia for elective cosmetic surgery. According to Friedberg, his approach offers plastic and cosmetic surgeons a safe, effective way to have these procedures in the office and without the need for the advanced airways, vasopressors, extra fluids, or high-dose opioids that leave patients groggy and hazy. He says his alternative reduces the risk of PONV to almost nothing.
Since the introduction of Dr Friedberg's "PK Technique" in 1992, and the addition of using brain activity monitoring (BAM) to that technique in 1997, the rate of PONV and the postoperative complications of blood clots and pulmonary embolisms has plummeted.
In addition, Friedberg introduced the use of the Dinamap in 1979, and pushed for it to improve patient safety before it was a standard of care. Friedberg's stated purpose was to give physicians the tools to improve safety. He has also founded the nonprofit Goldilocks Anesthesia Foundation.
Now, the journal Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery has published a piece on Friedberg's "Goldilocks anesthesia" methods. Friedberg, who frequently uses the "free PR' online news circuit to promote his position, published this news release recently:
Goldilocks Anesthesia Published in #1 Plastic Surgery Journal
Newport Beach, CA (PRWEB) April 6, 2010 -- Goldilocks Anesthesia just published the secret to preventing both postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) and postoperative pain in the April 2010 issue of ‘Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery,’ the undisputed number one journal in the field.
We admire Dr Friedberg's stance and commitment to patient safety, and cordially ask any physicians or anesthesiologists to comment on the ideas and practices outlined above.