I picked this up from another CRNA discussion board and have not read the article myself, but this appeared in the June 2004 Vogue magazine. It has stirred a lot of attention from CRNAs (As it should have!) and as far as I know it will be addressed by the AANA...or at least I hope so!
The article in the June 2004 issue of Vogue contains an article entitled 'Shopping for Surgey'. Santa Monica surgeon R. Patrick Abergel states " It's not illegal for surgeons to administer anesthesia themselves, and a lot do - or they work with Nurse Anesthetists. Both are unsafe, says Abergel. Prior to surgery, a patient should discuss their medical history as well as the type of anesthesia with the anesthesiologist..."
This may not be a medical journal, but it is a nationally read magazine. This kind of ignorant statement undermines a lot of the hard work that has been done to promote the truth that CRNAs are safe anesthesia providers. The general public reads this garbage and can potentially form an opinion based on a factless, biased statement by some surgeon. Although not credible in my eyes, these kinds of statements can do a lot of damage to the reputation of CRNAs. We have a lot of work to do!
