Anesthesiologists frequently care for patients at the extremes of age and size. These patient groups have unique features that require special consideration when formulating an anesthetic plan. The purpose of this chapter is to highlight alterations in physiology associated with…
Evolutionary Perspective The biotransformation of foreign substances is based on ancient evolutionary defense mechanisms. Hundreds of millions of years ago, animals evolved to terrestrial life and began ingesting new varieties of plant life with nutrient and toxic potential. These early…
Historical Perspective The discovery of drugs with anesthetic properties was a landmark event in the history of pharmacology, medicine, and even civilization, in that it made otherwise painful surgical treatments of disease possible. Without a means of providing anesthesia, it…
The science broadly referred to as clinical pharmacology is the foundation on which anesthesiologists base their therapeutic decisions, including the rational selection of anesthetics and the formulation of safe and effective dosage regimens. Focusing exclusively on intravenous anesthetics, this chapter…
Understanding the basic principles of pharmacology is fundamental to the practice of medicine in general, but is perhaps most relevant to the practice of anesthesiology. It is now widely accepted that cells contain a host of specific receptors that mediate…