One of today’s headlines was that many states are going to face a problem with executing death penalty sentences due to a shortage of one of the drugs used for lethal injection.  (Here’s a link to the article.)  The drug is an intravenous anesthetic called sodium thiopentol or Pentothal.  It’s the component in the lethal cocktail that makes the executions “humane.”  Convicts are essentially anesthetized with Pentothal at the time the lethal dose of potassium is given to arrest the heart, thus making them unaware of their demise.   The manufacturer of the Pentothal has stopped producing the drug because of shortage of raw materials.

Several states have back up plans for executions when lethal injection is unavailable, including things like hanging, electric chairs, and gas chambers. Many people are angered by this, especially the anti-death penalty groups who feel that the death penalty is a completely flawed system already.  Another option is to get the drug from Italy; however, the Italian company wants nothing to do with capital punishment in the US and refuses to release the drug for this use.

Well, as an anesthesiologist who has been operating under a Pentothal shortage for over a year now, I can tell you that there are other options.  How about the (infamous) Propofol?  It’s relatively cheap, works fast, and can be found in abdundant supplies.  What about etomidate, or pentobarbital, or methohexital, or maybe just a huge slug of narcotic?  A 250 mcg vial of fentanyl would only cost a few cents, and I’m sure the production of fentanyl will never be a problem.

Now although there are anesthetic alternatives, this doesn’t mean that I’m a proponent of lethal injection or capital punishment by any other means.  I just wanted to point out that it isn’t the huge scandal that AOL news wants you to believe. The prison system isn’t overwhelmed just because of a shortage of sodium thiopental.

It appears that reality TV star Heidi Montag went under the knife to make a few improvements on her already flawless face.  She apparently had 10 plastic surgery procedures at one time!  That’s quite efficient.  She may have saved herself some recovery time and maybe some money by having to pay for only one anesthetic; however, she did not save on public criticism.

Heidi, a star of MTV’s Laguna Beach, The Hills, and other reality-esque shows, was interviewed by The Early Show on CBS.  She claims that she is not addicted to plastic surgery since she’s only had two surgery sessions in her life, despite having stacked several procedures into each session.  She also claims that plastic surgery does not contradict her belief in strong Christian values, nor is a promotion for her new album ironically titled “Superficial.”

A couple of her comments bother me.  She claimed in an interview with Access Hollywood that plastic surgery really had a negative effect on her health.  She even thought she was going to die.  She said, “I had too much demerol like Michael Jackson did.  And my breathing was five breaths per minute.”  Her doctors naturally refute this claim.  I tend to believe them.  She also claims to continue to be a role model for girls, saying that “beauty is really within.”  Please.

Read more on Popeater.com

Several sites are now reporting the findings of the search of Michael Jackson’s home.  In addition to multiple vials of the anesthetic propofol and bottles of sedatives, there is word of “tar heroin” and marijuana.  Sounds like MJ dabbled in everything.  It turns out that the “tar heroin” didn’t test positive for heroin, but the medication list becomes a little more interesting with the finding of Benoquin in the master bathroom.

What’s Benoquin?  It’s the brand name for a drug called monobenzone, a depigmentation agent used for various skin disorders, including vitiligo (presumed to be the autoimmune depigmenting disease having affliced Michael Jackson). Although its exact mechanism of action is unknown, it works by destroying or modifying the melanocytes in the skin – the cells that produce the pigment melanin that gives skin a dark color.   Typically, it is used to bleach the skin around areas of depigmentation to give it a uniform color.  This may be a contributing explanation as to why Michael Jackson was so uniformly pale!

Check out these links more information on what was found in MJ’s house, Benoquin, and vitiligo.