Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the most common disabling neurological diseases. It affects over one million individuals in the United States and about 1% of the population over 60 years of age (1). It is a degenerative disease of…
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Anesthesia for Hysterectomy
A hysterectomy is a surgery to remove a person’s uterus.1 After a hysterectomy is performed, the patient will no longer have menstrual periods and cannot become pregnant.1 Given the invasiveness and permanence of the surgery, it is highly unlikely that…
Anesthetic Implications of Coagulation Disorders
Coagulation disorders are diseases marked by abnormal bleeding or blood clotting due to issues in the coagulation system, platelets or blood vessels.1 Coagulation disorders can be acquired (e.g. vitamin K deficiency or liver disease) or hereditary (e.g. hemophilia).1 Though these…
Perioperative Music Therapy
Music therapy, a research-based practice in which music supports people striving to improve their health, functioning and well-being,1 has roots in ancient times2 and is becoming commonplace in contemporary medicine.3 Music is used in a variety of clinical settings to…
Physics for Anesthesiologists
Anesthesia has evolved over the previous decades; however, the basic concepts are still applicable in day to day anesthesia instruments and apparatuses. The understanding of the clinical relevance of physical principles for liquids and gases under pressure and at varying…
Nonoperating Room Anesthesia (NORA)
Nonoperating room anesthesia (NORA) refers to the administration of anesthesia or sedation outside the operating room (OR).1 The popularity of NORA is increasing, with proportions of NORA cases (out of all anesthesia cases) rising from 28.3 percent in 2010 to…
Perioperative Care for Transgender Patients
Transgender is an umbrella term that describes people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from what is typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth.1 Some researchers estimate that one million adults in the United States and…
Delayed Recovery from Anesthesia
Anesthesia providers are responsible for patients before, during and after procedures. They not only administer medications and monitor vital signs, but also oversee patients’ emergence from anesthesia. Various factors can affect a patient’s awakening process, including the patient’s medical history,…
Work-Related Exhaustion in Anesthesia
High-intensity jobs can cause physical and mental exhaustion in workers. Health care workers in particular face a variety of stressors1 that can cause work-related burnout, defined as “exhaustion of physical or emotional strength as a result of prolonged stress or…
Improving Sleep After Surgery
For many people, there is a noticeable deterioration in the quality of sleep after a surgery [1]. Around 50% of patients hospitalized overnight after surgery have sleep disturbances [1]. Unfortunately, poor post-operative sleep is related to negative outcomes such as…