Is There an Optimal Perioperative Hemoglobin Level?
Introduction Blood transfusions are common. In 2009, approximately 15 million units of red blood cells were transfused in the United States. Between 60% and 70% of all red blood cell…
What Are the Benefits of Different Ventilatory Techniques?
Introduction A broad variety of techniques and modes of mechanical ventilation is now available to physicians, thanks to improvements in technology. For the most part, the design of these techniques…
What Is the Optimal Airway Management in Patients Undergoing Gastrointestinal Endoscopy?
Introduction A growing number of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures are performed outside the operating room. This increase is especially noticeable in the field of gastroenterology. There is an ever increasing…
When Should Pulmonary Function Tests Be Performed Preoperatively?
Introduction Pulmonary complications remain common after many surgical procedures, particularly those involving the upper abdomen or thorax. Procedures that involve resection of lung tissue carry an even higher risk of…
Is There a Best Approach for Patients with Difficult Airways: Regional versus General Anesthesia?
Introduction Airway management is the essence of the practice of clinical anesthesiology. Preoperative assessment of the patient’s airway is the first step in the evaluation and planning of a safe,…
Is There a Best Approach to Induction of Anesthesia in Emergent Situations?
Introduction Most anesthesiologists take care of emergency patients in the operating room (OR) or as part of a “code team” in their hospital. Whether dealing with a surgical crisis in…
Does the Airway Examination Predict Difficult Intubation?
Introduction Difficult airway management is one of the most challenging tasks for anesthesiologists. Recent data from the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Management Closed Claims Project, specifically those findings related…
How Should We Prepare the Patient with a Pacemaker/Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator?
Introduction Battery-operated pacemakers (PMs) revolutionized the treatment of fatal electrical conduction abnormalities in 1958, just a few years after the invention of the transistor. As this science has matured, PMs…
Does Anesthetic Choice Affect Surgical and Recovery Times?
Introduction Many surgical procedures in the ambulatory setting are performed using general anesthesia. Recovery time after surgery and anesthesia is an important aspect that should be considered when a general…
Do Inhalational Agents Have Beneficial or Harmful Effects on Ischemia–Reperfusion Injury?
Introduction Experimental evidence has indicated that inhalational anesthetics have organ-protective effects against the consequences of ischemia–reperfusion injury. Although these protective effects have been most extensively characterized in myocardial tissue, it…
