Introduction Aspiration is a recognized risk of anesthesia. Although a relatively rare complication of anesthesia, aspiration contributes to perioperative morbidity and mortality. It can occur whenever a patient is unable…
Introduction Opioid-based anesthesia emerged as a safe and effective way to maintain hemodynamic stability in patients undergoing cardiac surgery in the early 1970s. This traditional anesthetic technique used large doses…
Introduction Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) are among the most common side effects associated with anesthesia and surgery. Currently, the overall incidence of PONV for all surgeries and patient populations…
Introduction Intensive (critical) care units (ICUs) first appeared in the 1950s as specialized wards to care for patients with acute respiratory failure. Subsequent technical and pharmacologic advances led to the…
Introduction In 1955 Bedford published an article in The Lancet suggesting that patients older than 50 years should exercise discretion when choosing to undergo elective surgery because they are at…
Introduction Perioperative beta-blockade (PBB) has been advocated for the reduction of cardiac risk for noncardiac surgery. The initial interest was based on nearly 50 years of research in the cardiology…
Introduction Malignant hyperthermia crisis (MHC) is a potentially lethal inherited syndrome triggered by exposure to anesthetic agents. The anesthesia community is best prepared to deal with MHC and patients who…
Introduction The obesity epidemic affects a very significant proportion of the adult population in the United States and throughout developed nations. The body mass index (BMI) is the most widely…
Introduction Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major public health issue. VTE is thus one of the main causes of mortality. It is also associated with considerable morbidity because nonfatal pulmonary…
Introduction More than 400,000 people have cardiac arrests in the United States each year, and approximately half of these occur in the hospital. Resuscitation attempts are unsuccessful in the majority…
