RMV->) Re: "Troubling Times for Office Surgery" (March, page 28). There were three deaths reported in office surgery between April 2002 and March 2003. One of those deaths occurred in a case in which an RN administered sedation, and two occurred in cases in which a CRNA or MD anesthesiologist administered sedation. Using Dr. Vila's "apples-to-apples" technique, doesn't that indicate that patients are twice as likely to die if a CRNA or MD anesthesiologist administers the sedation than if an RN administers it? Perhaps the regulatory agencies are taking the wrong approach. Or perhaps this just illustrates the absurdity of taking a handful of isolated cases and generalizing them to reach broad, unfounded conclusions and then passing hasty regulations.

Joyce McClintock, RN, PhD
Treasure Coast Cosmetic Surgery Center
Port St Lucie, Fla.
writeMail("jjjemmm@aol.com")