Relationship between racial disparities in ED wait times and illness severity.

BACKGROUND: Prolonged emergency department (ED) wait times could potentially lead to increased mortality. Studies have demonstrated that black patients waited significantly longer for ED care than nonblack patients. However, the disparity in wait times need not necessarily manifest across all illness severities. We hypothesize that, on average, black patients wait longer than nonblack patients and that the disparity is more pronounced as illness severity decreases. METHODS: We studied 34143 patient visits in 353 hospital EDs in the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey in 2008. In a 2-model approach, we regressed natural logarithmically transformed wait time on the race variable, other patient-level variables, and hospital-level variables for 5 individually stratified illness severity categories. We reported results as percent difference in wait times, with 95% confidence intervals. We used P < .05 for significance level. RESULTS: On average, black patients experienced significantly longer mean ED wait times than white patients (69.2 vs 53.3 minutes; P < .001). In the multivariate model, black patients did not experience significant different wait times for the 2 most urgent severity categories; black patients experienced increasingly longer waits vs nonblack patients for the 3 least urgent severity categories (14.7%, P < .05; 15.9%, P < .05; 29.9%, P < .001, respectively). CONCLUSION: Racial disparity in ED wait times between black and nonblack patients exists, and the size of the disparity is more pronounced as illness severity decreases. We do not find a racial disparity in wait times for critically ill patients.

Ultrasound-Assisted Spinal Anesthesia in a Patient with a Preexisting Lumbar Interspinous Spacer: A Case Report.

An interspinous spacer is a minimally invasive implantable device for the treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis. The in situ implant may prevent safe and successful spinal anesthesia because its position can obstruct the path of the spinal needle. Lumbar neuraxial ultrasonography has been shown to aid in performance of neuraxial anesthesia in patients with challenging anatomy. Currently, there are no reported cases of ultrasound-assisted spinal anesthesia in patients with interspinous spacers. We present a case in which ultrasonography assisted the successful administration of a spinal anesthetic by avoiding an indwelling lumbar interspinous spacer.

Racial and ethnic disparities in regional anesthesia in the United States: A narrative review.

BACKGROUND: Racial and ethnic disparities exist in the delivery of regional anesthesia in the United States. Anesthesiologists have ethical and economic obligations to address existing disparities in regional anesthesia care. OBJECTIVES: Current evidence of racial and ethnic disparities in regional anesthesia utilization in adult patients in the United States is presented. Potential contributors and solutions to racial disparities are also discussed. EVIDENCE REVIEW: Literature search was performed for studies examining racial and ethnic disparities in utilization of regional anesthesia, including neuraxial anesthesia and/or peripheral nerve blocks. FINDINGS: While minoritized patients are generally less likely to receive regional anesthesia than white patients, the pattern of disparities for different racial/ethnic groups and for types of regional anesthetics can be complex and varied. Contributors to racial/ethnic disparities in regional anesthesia span hospital, provider, and patient-level factors. Potential solutions include standardization of regional anesthetic practices via Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) pathways, increasing patient education, health literacy, language translation services, and improving diversity and cultural competency in the anesthesiology workforce. CONCLUSION: Racial and ethnic disparities in regional anesthesia exist. Contributors and solutions to these disparities are multifaceted. Much work remains within the subspecialty of regional anesthesia to identify and address such disparities.

Regional Anesthesia Techniques for Shoulder Surgery in High-Risk Pulmonary Patients.

Patients with pre-existing pulmonary conditions are at risk for experiencing perioperative complications and increased morbidity. General anesthesia has historically been used for shoulder surgery, though regional anesthesia techniques are increasingly used to provide anesthesia and improved pain control after surgery. Relative to regional anesthesia, patients who undergo general anesthesia may be more prone to risks of barotrauma, postoperative hypoxemia, and pneumonia. High-risk pulmonary patients, in particular, may be exposed to these risks of general anesthesia. Traditional regional anesthesia techniques for shoulder surgery are associated with high rates of phrenic nerve paralysis which significantly impairs pulmonary function. Newer regional anesthesia techniques have been developed, however, that provide effective analgesia and surgical anesthesia while having much lower rates of phrenic nerve paralysis, thereby preserving pulmonary function.