An Analysis of the Top-cited Articles in Anesthesiology Education Literature.

BACKGROUND: In the same way that impact factor is calculated for journals, the number of citations an article receives can indicate its influence or value to a particular field. This study was designed to identify the most frequently cited articles in anesthesiology education to yield insight into which articles have been most useful for researchers in ongoing research and publication. METHODS: The Web of Science database was searched to capture the top-cited articles in anesthesiology education both in anesthesiology and nonanesthesiology journals. Results were sorted by the most frequently cited. The top 40 cited articles were identified. Articles were included if they (1) related to anesthesiology or included anesthesiologists as subjects and (2) were related to the education of current or future anesthesiologists. The full text was analyzed, and themes were identified. RESULTS: There was a total of 2923 citations of articles in anesthesiology journals and 924 citations of articles in nonanesthesiology journals. Thirty-two of 40 articles (80%) were research studies. Twenty-four of 40 (60%) were about teaching methods. Twenty-five of 40 (63%) focused on simulation, and 31 of 40 (78%) had residents as the subjects. Twenty-eight of 40 (70%) articles were about either case management (15) or learning procedures (13). CONCLUSIONS: This study identifies the most widely cited articles in anesthesiology education. Common themes included procedural learning, interventional research study designs, simulation, and studies involving residents as subjects. This article may be a resource to anesthesiology education researchers to identify what articles are widely cited by other researchers.

Airway exchange failure and complications with the use of the Cook Airway Exchange Catheter®: a single center cohort study of 1177 patients.

There are limited data on rates of failure and airway injury with the use of airway exchange catheters. We performed a single-center retrospective analysis of airway exchange catheters to determine the incidence and associated factors for tube exchange failure and airway injury. Among 1177 cases, failed intubation during attempted tube exchange was noted in 73/527 (13.8%). Airway exchange failure rates were greatest during exchange catheter use for double-lumen tube insertion and when intubation was attempted over the catheter postoperatively. Pneumothorax was noted after 1.5% of attempted tube exchanges. Difficult tube exchange was encountered in 6 of 8 patients with pneumothorax.