Availability of Lipid Emulsion to Regional Anesthesia Programs at US Academic Anesthesia Departments

Significant data exists to suggest that lipid emulsion administration in the setting of local anesthetic toxicity has the potential to be life-saving. Unfortunately, a variety of potential barriers exist to routine lipid emulsion administration for those performing regional anesthesia including drug availability, drug cost and drug location. Inadequate training or lack of established protocols also have the potential to negatively impact patient outcomes. A previous study by Toledo et al (Availability of lipid emulsion in United States obstetric units. Anesth Analg 2013;116:406-408.) evaluated lipid emulsion availability on obstetric units and found that it was nearly universally available. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) publishes a list of contact information for each anesthesia institution that engages in resident training. Investigators will contact these institutions by phone or email to obtain contact information for their regional anesthesia program director. In the absence of a program director, investigators will send a survey and consent information via email to the faculty physician most involved in regional anesthesia. Survey completion instructions (survey itself to be completed on Qualtrics Survey Hosting Service) and copy of the study consent form will be attached to the initial contact email. The study consent form will contain a description of the study itself. Survey participants will be allowed time to complete their survey in private at their discretion. Non-responders will receive two follow-up emails at one month intervals.