American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine August 2018 - 8

What's New with ASRA Coags 2.0?

W

ith the release of the
ASRA Coags 2.0 app, I
wanted to give you some
history of where the app came
from and what's new in this
latest version. The app has been
a critical part of my practice in
regional anesthesia, and many
people around the globe find it
useful for theirs.
In 2010, ASRA released the
Rajnish K. Gupta, MD
third edition of the often-cited
Associate Professor, Anesthesiology
and frequently used Regional
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Anesthesia in the Patient
Nashville, Tennessee
Receiving Antithrombotic or
Thrombolytic Therapy: American
Society of Regional Anesthesia
and Pain Medicine Evidence-Based Guidelines.1 Because of the
increasing use of antithrombotic, anticoagulant, thrombolytic, and
antiplatelet medications throughout medicine for the management
of coronary artery disease, stroke, deep venous thrombosis,
and many other disorders, practicing safe regional anesthesia
has become more complex. It is essential that anesthesiologists
understand the pharmacokinetics of various medications and the
implications for neuraxial and peripheral blocks. However, the
guidelines are nearly 100 pages long, making it very difficult for
most clinicians to locate and execute best practices during a busy
clinical day.
When the guidelines were first released, many people were making
their own charts or electronic mnemonic tools to effectively
access this information. In 2014, ASRA created the ASRA Coags
Regional app to help with this problem. The app is a searchable
database tool on your iOS or Android device that accesses the same
information as the 2010 guidelines but in a quick and readable
format. Buried inside the app, however, is the complete depth and
nuance of the original publication when necessary. This app has
been a resounding success, with more than 25,000 downloads from
around the world in the past 4 years.
In 2015, ASRA collaborated with the European Society of
Regional Anesthesia and Pain Therapy, American Academy of
Pain Medicine, International Neuromodulation Society, North
American Neuromodulation Society, and the World Institute of
Pain to establish the first edition of guidelines for antiplatelet and
anticoagulation management for interventional pain procedures:
Interventional Spine and Pain Procedures in Patients on Antiplatelet
and Anticoagulant Medications.2 ASRA subsequently produced a
new app called ASRA Coags Pain to include the new pain guidelines

8

that were distinct from regional anesthesia guidelines in many
ways.
Both ASRA Coags Regional and ASRA Coags Pain have
demonstrated the value of app-based guidelines in enhancing the
ability of practitioners to access and use published best practices
in efficient ways.3 In addition, the apps provided a validated way
for ASRA to disseminate the information so that users could have
confidence in the quality of the content.4
However, because of the expanding number of new medications
in the past several years, both the regional and pain guidelines
needed updating. ASRA put tremendous effort in updating both
guidelines simultaneously, culminating in publications released
in the Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine journal in April
2018.5 Both sets of guidelines address the growing number of
new medications available on the market and update previous
guidelines with information from literature published during the
intervening years. The updates have been long-awaited and will be
very influential in many clinicians' practices around the globe.
ASRA felt it was essential to revise the ASRA Coags apps with the
latest guidelines as quickly as possible, giving providers access
to the most current information. In addition, we knew that it was
essential to access both guidelines in one place since many
clinicians practice in both arenas. This resulted in the April 2018

American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
2018



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine August 2018

American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine August 2018 - 1
American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine August 2018 - 2
American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine August 2018 - 3
American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine August 2018 - 4
American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine August 2018 - 5
American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine August 2018 - 6
American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine August 2018 - 7
American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine August 2018 - 8
American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine August 2018 - 9
American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine August 2018 - 10
American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine August 2018 - 11
American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine August 2018 - 12
American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine August 2018 - 13
American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine August 2018 - 14
American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine August 2018 - 15
American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine August 2018 - 16
American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine August 2018 - 17
American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine August 2018 - 18
American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine August 2018 - 19
American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine August 2018 - 20
American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine August 2018 - 21
American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine August 2018 - 22
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American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine August 2018 - 27
American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine August 2018 - 28
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American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine August 2018 - 35
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American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine August 2018 - 37
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American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine August 2018 - 39
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American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine August 2018 - 42
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/asra/18-04
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/asra/18-3
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/asra/18-2
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/asra/18-1
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/asra/17-4
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/asra/17-3
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/asra/17-2
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/asra/17-1
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/asra/16-4
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/asra/16-3
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/asra/16-2
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/asra/16-1
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/asra/15-4
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/asra/15-3
https://www.nxtbook.com/allen/asra/15-2
https://www.nxtbook.com/allen/asra/15-1
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com