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Anesthesiology news
It's not just deep sleep: Anesthesia drives brain into a strange state doctors are only beginning to map
People often describe anesthesia as something that puts a patient in a "deep sleep." An anesthesiologist enters the operating room, and part of their mission is to ensure that the patient is completely unaware of what is ...
5 hours ago
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Cold comfort? Icing injuries may prolong pain and slow recovery, preclinical results suggest
Icing a sprained ankle or sore muscle, long used to reduce pain and swelling, may in the longer run delay recovery and prolong pain, new research suggests. In a preclinical study published in Anesthesiology, McGill University ...
20 hours ago
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Study identifies post-extubation pneumonia as a distinct condition after surgery and determines key risk factors
A Hiroshima University study of more than 31,000 patients found that pneumonia occurred more often after breathing tubes were removed than during ventilation, with most cases developing within a 1–2 week window after surgery. ...
May 7, 2026
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While patients lay unconscious under anesthesia, their brains kept decoding stories and preparing for what came next
Baylor College of Medicine researchers have found that the human brain is capable of sophisticated language processing while in an unconscious state from general anesthesia. The findings, published in Nature, challenge what ...
May 6, 2026
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Heavy air pollution is linked to worse post-surgical outcomes
Air pollution has been linked to a host of poor health outcomes, from respiratory infections to suicide risk. Now, new research in the Wasatch Front of Utah—which occasionally experiences the worst air quality in the nation—has ...
May 6, 2026
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Combination treatment could be safer, more effective for drug overdoses involving severe agitation
A team of Marshall University researchers has published a new study suggesting a potential breakthrough in how doctors manage severe agitation caused by methamphetamine and/or cocaine use, particularly in cases in which opioids ...
Apr 26, 2026
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Ukraine's war amputees are breaking the pain-trauma cycle, with most regaining function and quality of life
Most war amputees experience steady improvements in pain, psychological symptoms and quality of life over time, according to a new study that followed 156 Ukrainian amputees for one year and was led by Northwestern Medicine ...
Apr 21, 2026
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Combining cannabis with opioids offers no added pain relief for knee arthritis patients, study concludes
Combining cannabis with an opioid did not improve acute pain for people with knee arthritis, according to results of a study published in Anesthesiology.
Apr 21, 2026
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How a tiny circle of repeat offenders poisoned 100s of gold-standard medical trials for over a decade
Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) are the gold standard of medical research as random assignment approach helps eliminate bias and yields the most reliable evidence on whether a treatment truly works. Since RCTs sit at ...
New study shows limitations of naloxone in reversing overdoses from powerful synthetic opioids
A new study exposes challenges in reversing opioid overdoses with naloxone when potent synthetic drugs like fentanyl and sufentanil are involved, according to a study published in the May 2026 issue of Anesthesiology. The ...
Apr 13, 2026
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Continuous wearable monitoring reduces time with low oxygen after surgery, study finds
Patients continuously monitored after surgery experienced significantly less time with dangerously low oxygen levels compared to those monitored using routine spot checks, a new study from Wake Forest University School of ...
Mar 26, 2026
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Blood banks face O-neg shortages; call for donations, changes in emergency infusion practices to protect supply
As blood banks across the U.S. report dangerously low supplies of O-negative blood (red blood cells), anesthesiologists are calling for increased donation and changes in how hospitals use this "universal donor" blood type, ...
Mar 19, 2026
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Three anesthesia drugs all have the same effect in the brain, researchers find
When patients undergo general anesthesia, doctors can choose among several drugs. Although each of these drugs acts on neurons in different ways, they all lead to the same result: a disruption of the brain's balance between ...
Mar 17, 2026
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Genetic testing plays role in identifying malignant hyperthermia risk
Genetic testing can play an important role in identifying patients at risk for malignant hyperthermia (MH), guided by answering three simple screening questions, according to an article published online March 10 in Anesthesiology.
Mar 11, 2026
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High-risk patients account for 80% of post-surgery deaths
A major new study, led by Queen Mary University of London has been published in The Lancet Public Health. It found that out of the five million surgical procedures performed each year by the NHS, around 300,000 are carried ...
Mar 1, 2026
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Post-adenotonsillectomy respiratory volume monitoring could be feasible in obstructive sleep apnea
For children with severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) undergoing adenotonsillectomy, postoperative respiratory volume monitoring is feasible and can predict low minute ventilation (MV), according to a study published online ...
Feb 26, 2026
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New way to test life-threatening reaction to anesthetic
University of Queensland researchers have developed a less invasive way to test for a potential life-threatening reaction to an anesthetic. The work is published in the journal Anesthesiology.
Feb 25, 2026
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Combining nerve blocks with therapy speeds recovery in military personnel and veterans, clinical trial finds
Military service members and veterans frequently experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is linked to a range of psychological challenges and adverse effects. Cognitive-behavioral therapies like cognitive ...
Feb 17, 2026
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New research finds data-driven staffing model delivers major cost savings for health care systems
New research published in Operations Research shows that health care systems can substantially reduce overtime, idle time, and overall staffing costs by adopting a multilocation, dynamic staff-planning model for anesthesiologists. ...
Feb 13, 2026
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Commonly used drugs could help prevent delirium after surgery
A new study has found that several commonly used drugs could significantly reduce the risk of delirium in older people following surgery. Delirium—a sudden state of confusion and memory problems—affects around one in seven ...
Feb 12, 2026
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Ketamine may fight chronic fatigue, study suggests
Ketamine, a decades-old anesthetic and fast-acting treatment for severe depression, may also offer some people rapid relief from chronic fatigue, according to a small proof-of-concept study led by researchers at Rutgers Health ...
Feb 12, 2026
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Targeted nerve blocks sharply reduce pain, opioid use for children with severe leg fractures, study finds
A new multicenter study led by Zachary Binder, MD, associate professor of pediatrics, provides compelling evidence that an ultrasound-guided nerve block can dramatically improve pain control for children with femur fractures, ...
Feb 8, 2026
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Stimulating the central thalamus during anesthesia sheds light on neural basis of consciousness
The brains of mammals continuously combine signals originating from different regions to produce various sensations, emotions, thoughts and behaviors. This process, known as information integration, is what allows brain regions ...
A nerve-based approach to helping older adults bounce back after surgery
After surgery, some older adults don't simply recover—they unravel. Confusion, inattention, and agitation can set in, a condition known as postoperative delirium. For patients already living with Alzheimer's disease and other ...
Jan 30, 2026
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A shared process underlies oral cancer pain and opioid tolerance
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling in the tissue around oral cancers both increases nerve sensitivity and makes opioids less effective. The findings point to a shared mechanism underlying both oral cancer pain ...
Jan 27, 2026
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