Newswise — San Francisco, CA (February 28, 2011) - The peer-reviewed medical journal Anesthesia & Analgesia received notification from Landesärztekammer Rheinland-Pfalz (“LÄK”), the Rheinland State Medical Board, that there was no IRB approval for 89 articles published Dr. Joachim Boldt, including 22 published by A&A from 1999-2009. All 22 articles have now been retraced by Anesthesia & Analgesia. This announcement follows the December 2010 retraction of another article by Dr. Boldt, “Cardiopulmonary Bypass Priming Using a High Dose of a Balanced Hydroxyethyl Starch Versus an Albumin-Based Priming Strategy” (Anesthesia & Analgesia 2009; 109: 1752-1762).

An ongoing investigation at Klinikum Ludwigshafen is comparing the results in Dr. Boldt’s research to patient and laboratory records to determine the veracity of his published findings. As noted by Steven L. Shafer, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Anesthesia & Analgesia, “This is a slow and painstaking process. It is possible that articles retracted for lack of IRB approval may be retracted again for research fraud to provide a full accounting of Dr. Boldt’s research. I appreciate the dedication to ethical conduct of research demonstrated by Landesärztekammer Rheinland-Pfalz in pursuing their investigation into status of IRB approval for Dr. Boldt’s studies, and the commitment of considerable time and expense by Klinikum Ludwigshafen in their ongoing investigation of the integrity of Dr. Boldt’s findings.”

About the IARS The International Anesthesia Research Society is a nonpolitical, not-for-profit medical society founded in 1922 to advance and support scientific research and education related to anesthesia, and to improve patient care through basic research. The IARS contributes nearly $1 million annually to fund anesthesia research; sponsors an annual forum for anesthesiology leaders to share information and ideas; maintains a worldwide membership of more 15,000 physicians, physician residents, and others with doctoral degrees, as well as health professionals in anesthesia-related practice; sponsors the SAFEKIDS initiative; and publishes the journal Anesthesia & Analgesia. Additional information about the society and the journal may be found at www.iars.org www.iars.org and www.anesthesia-analgesia.org .

About Anesthesia & AnalgesiaAnesthesia & Analgesia was founded in 1922 and was issued bi-monthly until 1980, when it became a monthly publication. A&A is the leading journal for anesthesia clinicians and researchers and includes more than 500 articles annually in all areas related to anesthesia and analgesia, such as cardiovascular anesthesiology, patient safety, anesthetic pharmacology, and pain management. The journal is published on behalf of the IARS by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) , a division of Wolters Kluwer Health .