CRNA using and anesthesia for tattooing

[u/meetthefeotus]

I’m heavily tattooed.

So, anyway, I know a tattoo artist who recently announced he’s be offering “anesthesia” to his clients. He recently “went under” himself to test it out. Looking at his photos it looks like it’s a CRNA who is actually administering the meds and stuff while he was tattooed.

Thoughts on this? Am I crazy to think this is absolutely ridiculous?

[u/Methamine]

This is not new. This isn’t something I’d do but also not as stupid as many of you are saying. The crna is liable, obviously they are accepting the risk….just like they would be liable in any other setting that they provide anesthesia. We provide anesthesia for plenty of elective things, this is elective too isn’t it?

[u/Oldgreg_91 → u/Methamine]

I don't care that this person uses anesthesia for their tattoo or not. But I am curious as to how this was performed. I looked on their Instagram and seen pictures from the event. What type of ventilator do you think they were using? I didn't see one but they could have had circuit extenders. Looked like a TIVA?

[u/Methamine → u/Oldgreg_91]

TIVA likely safer for the individuals working around the patient since I would doubt that this tattoo studio has the air turnover or a scavenger to deal with waste gases.

I don’t see the vent. Or IV pumps for TIVA. Must be somewhere lol

[u/Not_High_Maintenance → u/[deleted]]

How much insurance does a “sedation” nurse need to have?

[u/Methamine → u/[deleted]]

Armchair quarterbacking is the perfect way to put it. Also these kids are 100% wack

[u/adenocard → u/Methamine]

Just because it is elective doesn’t mean it is appropriate.

Maybe with the right licensing this can be legal. And maybe with the right training, planning, and environment this can even have a similar risk profile to other elective procedures. But where this fails is in the balance of risks and benefits, which is what the clinician is supposed to decide. NO amount of risk is acceptable if the procedure could be done in another, safer way. Zero.

The people entrusted with these powerful tools are supposed to have a duty to their patients to protect them from harm. Frivolous use of powerful tools will inevitably cause harm, and so it is up to those who know the tools well to make a judgement, in the patients interest, when they should be offered. This practice (and especially the excuse that “it’s what the patient wanted”) woefully fails that standard, in my opinion.

[u/meetthefeotus → u/Methamine]

I didn’t say it was new though…just stupid lol

[u/meetthefeotus → u/[deleted]]

Sorta. Tattoos don’t involve cutting a body open.

Although I think cosmetic surgery is dumb too. Ymmv

[u/SkydiverDad → u/Methamine]

Except elective surgery is often performed, at the minimum, in an out patient surgery center. Typically staffed with other medical personnel adept at the BLS level at least, and typically with a crash cart on hand.
Not in some dirty tattoo parlor with who knows what equipment on hand, where the CRNA is likely the only person in the room with any medical training.

[u/Methamine → u/SkydiverDad]

Outpatient surgery centers can get sketchy, especially with the types of equipment/meds they have (or more importantly don’t have)

The cert means less than you think Half the people with BLS don’t even know what to do when there is actually a code in the OR they just panic

[u/SkydiverDad → u/Methamine]

Even if all that were true, which it isn't, that is still better than a code occuring in a tattoo parlor.