https://medicalxpress.com/anesthesiology-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Anaesthesiology In the brain, specific electrical waves are associated with different states of consciousness. For instance, delta waves—also known as slow waves—are especially prevalent during deep sleep, as well as during states of unconsciousness induced by coma and general anesthesia. They are considered a "signature" of these altered states of consciousness. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-pink-noise-anesthesia-surgery.html Thu, 21 May 2026 16:40:07 EDT news698587502 Vitamin D deficiency is associated with more moderate to severe pain following breast cancer surgery and an increased consumption of opioid drugs, finds research published in the journal Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-vitamin-d-linked-pain-breast.html Tue, 19 May 2026 18:30:01 EDT news698407801 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 happening around them until they wake up, often several hours later. Scientists and doctors have long debated what happens to the brain under anesthetic drugs during a surgical procedure. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-deep-anesthesia-brain-strange-state.html Wed, 13 May 2026 08:37:48 EDT news697880221 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 researchers have found that even though cryotherapy (icing) eased pain in the short term, recovery time was more than doubled in some cases. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-cold-comfort-icing-injuries-prolong.html Tue, 12 May 2026 18:20:07 EDT news697820461 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. The findings suggest this under-recognized condition may be a distinct clinical entity linked to swallowing dysfunction and that early assessment and intervention, including identification of high-risk patients, may be key to prevention and improved outcomes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-extubation-pneumonia-distinct-condition-surgery.html Thu, 07 May 2026 09:56:07 EDT news697366516 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 we know about the role of consciousness and cognition, and could open new ways of understanding memory, language and brain-computer interfaces. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-patients-lay-unconscious-anesthesia-brains.html Wed, 06 May 2026 11:40:06 EDT news697284361 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 and collaborators in Ukraine. The findings are published in the journal eClinicalMedicine. The study is the first to track over time how anxiety, depression and quality of life interact with pain in an amputee population. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-ukraine-war-amputees-pain-trauma.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 19:30:01 EDT news695979875 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 the top of the evidence hierarchy, retractions can send ripple effects across the entire system. A fraudulent study with fabricated data or results can influence the credibility of systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and those distortions can quietly shape clinical practice guidelines that influence real-world medical care. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-tiny-circle-poisoned-100s-gold.html Fri, 17 Apr 2026 13:00:02 EDT news695645888 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