Ultrasound has rapidly become an important tool in anesthesiology, so much so that the American Society of Anesthesiologists recommends that current medical students intending to specialize in anesthesiology become familiar with the mechanism, uses, and techniques of ultrasound as they complete their clinical rotations in their third and fourth years of medical school.1 While ultrasound… Continue reading Growth of Ultrasound in Anesthesiology

Colonoscopies play a vital role in detecting, diagnosing, and treating gastrointestinal conditions including colon cancer and inflammatory bowel disease. While this procedure is very common, the use of anesthesia during colonoscopy has been subject to debate. While one camp encourages anesthesia use to increase patient comfort and procedural ease, others may point to costs and… Continue reading Debate over the Use of Anesthesia for Colonoscopy 

Anesthesia often seeks to control muscle movement to facilitate surgery, whether through temporarily paralyzing muscles or returning normal function. Monitoring muscle activity is useful in the perioperative setting, primarily during recovery from a neuromuscular blockade after anesthesia. On the flip side, some patients may pose challenges due to having muscle twitching under anesthesia. To assess… Continue reading Muscle Twitching During Anesthesia

In the 1950s, the anesthetic halothane was coined the miracle anesthetic. The easy and rapid induction, quick recovery profile, and function as a moderate muscle relaxer made it the popular choice for anesthesiologists. Then, the hidden downsides were uncovered. It could lead to cardiovascular complications in the presence of adrenaline. Other patients experienced severe immune… Continue reading History of Enflurane

Surgery and anesthesia may pose risks to an unborn fetus. Some of this risk is medico-legal, however this risk is very low2. According to the American Society of Anesthesiology, only seven out of 10,500 claims in the Anesthesia Closed Claim database were regarding undiagnosed pregnancy prior to surgery.3 Much of this risk, however, is theoretical;… Continue reading Utility of Routine Preoperative Pregnancy Tests

A heart attack is a serious event that can have lasting implications for health even if successfully managed. A recent heart attack can increase a patient’s risk for other cardiovascular events, which is relevant for surgery, including non-cardiac surgery. Some patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery face the risk of experiencing adverse cardiovascular events, including myocardial ischemia,… Continue reading Non-Cardiac Surgery after Heart Attack

Intraoperative bleeding is a major complication during and after surgery that often results in increased morbidity and mortality. Steps can be taken preoperatively to identify patients at higher risk and facilitate appropriate preparation. However, the surgical and anesthesia teams must be ready to intervene if severe bleeding does occur in surgery patients.  Patients should be… Continue reading Management of Surgery Patients with Severe Bleeding 

The discovery and refinement of general anesthesia (GA) makes surgery and other invasive medical procedures more humane, predominantly through the induction of loss of consciousness and analgesia, or the loss of pain perception. However, it is not uncommon for patients to regain consciousness under GA and still experience pain relief. It is believed that low-dose… Continue reading Effect of Anesthesia in the Amygdala 

Melatonin is a chemical compound produced by the pineal gland in the brain. Often referred to as the “sleep hormone,” melatonin plays an important role in the circadian rhythm, the 24-hour cycle according to which the sleep and awake states are regulated. Melatonin synthesis increases at night, is inhibited by light,1 and is directly correlated… Continue reading Pain Relief from Melatonin