Key Points ▪ Palliative care is an interprofessional approach to symptom management and decision making for patients with a wide range of serious illnesses and is not limited to patients who are imminently expected to die. ▪ Palliative care teams…
Key Points ▪ The normal physiology of neuronal function, receptors, and ion channels is altered by persistent pain. ▪ Because of the large number of sources and manifestation of chronic pain, classification must include cancer-related, neuropathic, inflammatory, arthritis, and musculoskeletal…
Key Points ▪ Normal hemostasis is a balance between generation of a localized hemostatic clot and uncontrolled thrombus formation. ▪ The extrinsic pathway of coagulation begins with exposure of blood plasma to tissue factor and represents the initiation phase of…
Key Points ▪ Blood transfusion is safer now than at any other time in history. Advances in donor screening, improved testing, automated data systems, and changes in transfusion medicine practices account for these increases in safety. ▪ Although the overall…
Key Points ▪ The presence of a significant acid-base abnormality often signals a sinister underlying problem. ▪ All acid-base abnormalities result from alterations in the dissociation of water. ▪ Only three factors independently affect acid-base balance—the arterial partial pressure of…
Key Points ▪ Intravenous fluid therapy is a core part of perioperative practice, with the potential to influence patient outcomes. ▪ Water makes up approximately 60% of total body weight, varying widely with age and body composition. The ratio between…
Key Points ▪ Regional anesthesia is only successful when local anesthetic is inserted in close proximity to the targeted nerves. From the inception of regional anesthesia over a century ago, several techniques have been designed and available to facilitate the…
Key Points ▪ The distal termination of the spinal cord varies from L3 in infants to the lower border of L1 in adults. ▪ The speed of neural blockade depends on the size, surface area, and degree of myelination of…
Key Points ▪ One of the fundamental responsibilities of the anesthesiologist is to mitigate the adverse effects of anesthesia on the respiratory system by maintaining airway patency and ensuring adequate ventilation and oxygenation. The term airway management refers to this…
Key Points ▪ Good evidence-based practice dictates that clinicians always quantitate the extent of neuromuscular block by objective monitoring. ▪ The neuromuscular block should be adjusted to ensure optimal surgical conditions. In most procedures, one or two responses to train-of-four…