https://medicalxpress.com/anesthesiology-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Anaesthesiology 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 Medicine found. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-wearable-oxygen-surgery.html Thu, 26 Mar 2026 11:00:01 EDT news693564751 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 stability and excitability, according to a new MIT study published in the journal Cell Reports. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-anesthesia-drugs-effect-brain.html Tue, 17 Mar 2026 11:00:11 EDT news692871121 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 out on individuals considered high-risk, and within 90 days of surgery, these high-risk patients account for four out of five deaths, over half of all hospital bed days and nearly one-third of emergency readmissions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-high-patients-account-surgery-deaths.html Sun, 01 Mar 2026 08:00:05 EST news691241659 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 older adults after an operation. People who get delirium spend longer in hospital, are more likely to die in hospital or develop dementia later in life. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-commonly-drugs-delirium-surgery.html Thu, 12 Feb 2026 15:19:28 EST news690131942 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 with different functions to collectively form unified experiences. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-central-thalamus-anesthesia-neural-basis.html Fri, 06 Feb 2026 11:20:01 EST news689595211 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 and opioid tolerance—and a possible new treatment strategy for both. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-underlies-oral-cancer-pain-opioid.html Tue, 27 Jan 2026 15:10:01 EST news688748466 For millions living with nerve pain, even a light touch can feel unbearable. Scientists have long suspected that damaged nerve cells falter because their energy factories known as mitochondria don't function properly. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-mitochondria-chronic-nerve-pain.html Wed, 07 Jan 2026 11:00:04 EST news686853181 Simple pharmaceutical interventions could help older brains cope with memory impairment and recovery after surgery, new studies in mice suggest. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-medications-aging-brain-cope-surgery.html Mon, 05 Jan 2026 15:40:04 EST news686849625 Modified endotracheal tubes designed to reduce patient pneumonia risk failed to improve outcomes compared to standard breathing tubes, researchers report in a new study. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-special-tubes-dont-emergency-intubation.html Thu, 18 Dec 2025 14:03:02 EST news685288934 The Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine at the Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital in Dresden and the TU Dresden Faculty of Medicine has conducted the world's largest study on patient safety in major lung surgery. Until now, it was not clear how different ventilation strategies during lung surgery affect the risk of possible complications. The PROTHOR study now provides physicians with guidance on choosing the most appropriate ventilation approach during such anesthesia. The results of the study were recently published in the journal Lancet Respiratory Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-greater-patient-safety-major-lung.html Thu, 11 Dec 2025 15:43:48 EST news684690176 The kidneys are among the most important organs of the human body. Every day they filter around 1,500 liters of blood, regulate electrolyte and fluid balance, control blood pressure and play a central role in detoxifying the body. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-protocol-lowers-kidney-injury-major.html Wed, 10 Dec 2025 14:49:28 EST news684600541 Doctors treating seriously ill patients in an emergency setting may want to give the sedative etomidate, rather than ketamine, while placing a breathing tube, according to a randomized trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-sedative-choice-outcomes-tube-patients.html Tue, 09 Dec 2025 19:20:01 EST news684496501 A large clinical trial published in JAMA Surgery shows that prehabilitation (also called prehab) can reduce disability after surgery in older adults with frailty, provided they are able to fully take part in the prehab program. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-prehabilitation-recovery-surgery-barriers.html Wed, 03 Dec 2025 11:00:06 EST news683974081 A multi-institutional research team has demonstrated how AI and machine learning can optimize therapy selection and dosing for septic shock, a life-threatening complication that is the leading cause of hospital deaths. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-machine-optimize-treatment-septic.html Thu, 20 Nov 2025 15:17:04 EST news682874221 Pinned between the stomach and spine, the pancreas supervises both digestion and blood sugar in the body. It's also the site of an aggressive cancer called pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, or PDAC. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-microfluidic-device-captures-pancreatic-cancer.html Thu, 13 Nov 2025 15:47:34 EST news682271245 The weeks leading up to a major surgery can be a time of uncertainty and worry for patients, many of whom anticipate the need for rehabilitation to get back on their feet. But if patients improve their physical and mental health prior to surgery, a process called prehabilitation or prehab, they can reduce the risk of complications afterward. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-mental-physical-surgery-immune-complications.html Wed, 12 Nov 2025 11:00:18 EST news682077142 Patients who undergo general anesthesia while receiving a specialized surgery to treat strokes have better outcomes than patients who are moderately sedated, according to new research led by UTHealth Houston. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-general-anesthesia-clot-surgery-neurological.html Wed, 05 Nov 2025 13:20:06 EST news681570834