Sauk Prairie Nurse Anesthetists Never Miss a Beat while providing anesthesia Record number of surgical cases marks hospital’s growth Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) across the country will tell America We Never Miss a Beat as they celebrate the 11th annual National Nurse Anesthetists Week, January 24–30, 2010. This year’s catchphrase We Never Miss a Beat touts the quality of care that nurse anesthetists pride themselves on providing patients.  To provide the safest anesthesia possible, nurse anesthetists remain by their patients’ side every moment of their procedure, monitoring their vital signs to help ensure a comfortable and safe anesthesia experience. “As anesthesia providers, it is important to be aware of every heartbeat, every breath, and be ready to quickly respond if necessary.  Which is why CRNAs are so proud to belong to a profession that has maintained a sterling record of providing patient-safety for more than 150 years,” said Tom Murphy, CRNA at Sauk Prairie Memorial Hospital & Clinics (SPMHC).  A 34-year member of SPMHC’s team, Murphy directs SPMHC’s Anesthesia department, which provided anesthesia for 4,073 surgical cases in 2009, the most ever recorded in the hospital’s history. Sauk Prairie Memorial Hospital & Clinics is pleased to announce the addition of Justin Schroeder, CRNA, to its Anesthesia team.  Established by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA), National Nurse Anesthetists Week was created to highlight the nurse anesthesia profession and allow CRNAs to educate the public about anesthesia safety, questions to ask prior to undergoing surgery, and the benefits of receiving anesthesia care from nurse anesthetists. Nurse anesthetists are advanced practice nurses who administer approximately 30 million anesthetics in the United States each year.  Practicing in every setting where anesthesia is available, CRNAs are the primary anesthesia providers in rural hospitals, and have been the main provider of anesthesia care to US service men and women on the front lines since World War I. “It is a privilege to be part of a profession with a focal point that is dedicated to providing patient safety.  Historically, CRNAs have played a considerable role in advancing trends related to monitoring technology, anesthetic drugs, and provider education.  In fact, anesthesia today is nearly 50 times safer than it was in the early 1980s,” said Murphy.