This article will be updated with relevant department information regarding the global COVID-19 pandemic as it becomes available. For an exhaustive list of UNMC’s COVID-19 pandemic response, please visit the COVID-19 Resources webpage.
As the COVID-19 pandemic impacts the world in ever-changing ways, the Department of Anesthesiology is responding dynamically with alignment of UNMC, Nebraska Medicine, state and federal government organizations, and the World Health Organization guidelines to protect our communities. Here you’ll find brief and relevant updates of the department’s ongoing plans to fulfill its mission to deliver high-quality and compassionate medical care, provide premier educational programs and perform innovative research, even through a global pandemic.
What we are doing for our patients:
- Department members are educated regularly on our processes to care for patients whose status is positive, negative or unknown for COVID-19. Our team is prepped for a surge of COVID-19 cases.
- To provide the best patient care utilizing the latest knowledge on COVID-19, we created a department-wide communication platform that utilizes secure, universally accessible data storage systems. Multiple department leaders utilize this platform to educate all department members in real time. Information shared includes updated clinical care regulations, instructions for donning and doffing PPE, the latest research and more.
- The critical care division remains a leader in Nebraska Medicine's ICUs and the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit.
What we are doing for our trainees:
- Department educational leaders designed and implemented a plan to educate students, residents and fellows via the Learning Portal, a secure, online digital learning platform.
- Faculty have access to online meeting and classroom platforms to continue trainee education.
- Experts are developing curriculum to educate all faculty, trainees, and CRNAs on clinical preparation for COVID-19
What we are doing for our faculty and staff:
- Department members abide by enterprise policies and guidelines regarding professional and personal travel. All in-person meetings have been moved to the video conferencing platform, Zoom. Department leaders who must meet on campus abide by social distancing guidelines.
- Non-essential department employees are working from home.
Our Department in the News:
CLINICAL INNOVATIONS
- Novel Intubation Boxes
- On April 6, the Omaha World-Herald, UNMC and Nebraska Medicine featured the work of Thomas Schulte, M.D., and colleagues for their novel intubation box that allows for ample movement while protecting healthcare workers from coronavirus and other dangerous pathogens.
- On April 30, KETV reported that UNMC sent these novel intubation boxes to New York City where one anesthesiologist working in a Bronx hospital significantly impacted by the pandemic called them a "gift from god."
- On April 6, the Omaha World-Herald, UNMC and Nebraska Medicine featured the work of Thomas Schulte, M.D., and colleagues for their novel intubation box that allows for ample movement while protecting healthcare workers from coronavirus and other dangerous pathogens.
- Safe Transesophageal Echocardiography (TEE)
- In early April, Nick Markin, MD, created an ingenious method of performing TEE that gives healthcare workers another barrier that minimizes risk of contracting COVID-19. The method utilizes just a plastic sheath and a bite guard.
- Infectious Aerosol Capture Mask (IACM)
- On April 15, Nebraska Medicine began using the IACM developed by Chairman Steven J. Lisco, MD, which captures exhaled aerosolized particles at their source from patients. The press release was featured in multiple local news outlets, and the Lincoln Journal Star ran an expanded story.
- On May 17, the Lincoln Journal Star and UNMC Today reported on efforts to mass produce the IACM by Omaha Custom Manufacturing. The U.S. Air Force and other hospitals around the country have expressed interest in the device.
EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP
- Social Distancing Encouragement
- On March 18, Daniel Johnson, MD, was featured by several local news organizations after an email he wrote to friends and family went viral on social media. The original email can be read in this Facebook post, and stories on his message were published by the Omaha World-Herald, the Lincoln Journal Star, and Nebraska Medicine. Dr. Johnson is the division chief of critical care anesthesiology, associate medical director of the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, and medical director of the cardiovascular ICU.
- Pandemic Parenting
- On March 27, Sasha Shillcutt, MD, was featured by the Omaha World-Herald in an article headlined "8 tips from three Omaha expert moms on parenting pandemic-style." In addition to being a cardiothoracic anesthesiologist and echocardiography expert, Dr. Shillcutt owns a woman physician leadership company called Brave Enough.
- Wellness Tips for Physicians Around the World
- On April 27, Dr. Shillcutt lectured in a global webinar to more than 1,400 surgeons and anesthesiologists from 102 countries on physician resilience in the face of crisis.
- A Rapidly Evolving Response
- On May 8, Drs. Dan Johnson and Muhammed Rafique published an article titled "A Rapidly Evolving Response to COVID-19" in the ASA Monitor, the newsletter for the American Society of Anesthesiologists.
- Disease and Death in COVID-19
- On June 6, The Economist, an international weekly publication, relied upon the expertise of Dr. Johnson to explain how SARS-CoV-2 causes disease and death in COVID-19.
- Universal Mask Wearing is Truly Necessary
- On June 15, the Omaha World-Herald published an opinion piece from three Nebraska Medicine/UNMC physicians, including our own Dr. Johnson, urging all Nebraskans to wear masks in public.
RESEARCH
- On June 8, Shaun Thompson, MD, led Nebraska Medicine's participation in a global study guiding COVID-19 treatment as the principal investigator.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
- Homemade Face Masks
- Throughout the pandemic, Faye Haggar, EdD, has been sewing masks for Nebraska Medicine staff, visitors and students not directly involved in patient care.