Notes from the annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

Several important developments were reported at the 1989 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists: (1) a computerized machine called HealthQuiz asks patients health questions, and in less than 10 minutes provides a printout of answers, a summary of symptoms, and a list of suggested laboratory tests; (2) a simple device provides continuous measurements of a critically ill patient's oxygen and carbon dioxide levels; (3) near-infrared reflectance is a new technique that may provide the first accurate real-time measurement of critical oxygen levels in the brain; (4) pulse oximeters may provide false readings in patients who smoke cigarettes; (5) a new test may accurately predict the survival chances of a child in a coma; (6) the fastest growing subspecialty in anesthesiology is chronic pain management clinics; (7) alpha-2 adrenergic agonists improve pain relief without the unwanted side effects of narcotics; (8) clonidine appears to suppress the dangerous shivering that often occurs in postanesthesia patients; (9) flumazenil was successfully tested as an agent to reverse the drowsiness caused by midazolam; and (10) ephedrine minimizes nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing ambulatory surgery.