Introduction Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) have undeniable clinical relevance because they are frequent and impose a significant burden of perioperative morbidity and mortality. The reported incidence of PPCs varies considerably…
The development of the heart-lung machine by John and Mary Gibbon over a half-century ago ushered in the modern era of cardiac surgery. Prior to 1953, the emerging field of…
All patients undergoing surgery—from simple surgery to an extremely complex operative procedure—suffer some perturbation in oxygen delivery to the kidneys. Postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) portends an increase in overall…
Despite significant advancements in surgical and perioperative technology, cardiac surgery remains associated with significant risk of morbidity and mortality. Over the last 30 years, at least 20 risk models have…
Perioperative complications involving the central nervous system (CNS) are common. However, these issues have generally received little attention in the presurgical assessment process. New data allow us to better guide…
Introduction Anesthesia has become increasingly safer. According to the Anesthesia Quality Institute’s National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry, comprising over 30 million cases, perioperative mortality has significantly decreased in high-income countries…
Describing the value of preoperative assessment resembles the fable of six blind men trying to describe an elephant: Each comes across different parts and creates his own version of reality…
Significance of Perioperative Organ Injury Although anesthesia-related complications have decreased in the last two decades, perioperative mortality has not. The leading precursor to death after surgery is acute organ injury…
Introduction Tissue damage after surgery triggers a complex inflammatory response termed sterile inflammation characterized by the release of intracellular molecules into the extracellular environment leading to receptor-mediated immune signaling cascades….
The practices of anesthesiology, surgery, and critical care are continuously improving. Through advances in each field, a number of patients with increasingly severe comorbidities are undergoing riskier and more complex…
