In recognition of his legacy in health care technology, ASA will honor the late Takuo Aoyagi, PhD, who passed away in Tokyo on April 18, 2020, with an Honorary Member Award at ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2021 in October. The ASA's Honorary Member Award celebrates a physician, scientist, or other individual not otherwise eligible for active ASA membership who has attained outstanding eminence in anesthesiology or related fields.
Dr. Aoyagi dedicated his career to developing the technology that made the modern pulse oximeter possible. The Japanese electrical engineer's 1974 invention of the pulse oximetry device revolutionized the medical field and has now become even more essential during the coronavirus pandemic.
While the pulse oximeter was not commercially available until the 1980s, those who practiced anesthesiology prior to Dr. Aoyagi's invention have offer testaments on how Dr. Aoyagi's work greatly improved almost every aspect of medicine.
Alexander Hannenberg, MD, ASA President in 2010,...
