Anesthesiology News and Research

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The branch of medicine that is focused on the relief of pain in the perioperative period (i.e. before, during or after a surgical procedure) is known as anesthesiology. The medicaments administered are termed anesthesia and the doctor who is trained in this specialty is referred to as an anesthesiologist

U.S. dentists still prescribe opioids at higher rates globally

People getting their teeth pulled or drilled by dentists in the United States are still much more likely to get powerful opioid medications than dental patients in other developed countries or even the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, a new study finds.

23 Apr 2026

Study links ADHD-related traits to increased chronic pain severity

A new study, led by researchers from the University of Tokyo, involving nearly 1,000 patients in Japan suggests that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-related traits may be associated with and may contribute to chronic pain.

23 Apr 2026

Study finds AI can match clinicians in interview assessment

Clinical interviewing is one of the most important skills physicians develop during their training. It forms the foundation for accurate diagnosis and effective patient care.

15 Apr 2026

Standard naloxone doses may not reverse newer synthetic opioid overdoses

A new study exposes challenges in reversing opioid overdoses with naloxone when potent synthetic drugs like fentanyl and sufentanil are involved, according to a study in the May 2026 issue of Anesthesiology, the peer-reviewed medical journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA).

13 Apr 2026

Base editing corrects genetic mutation responsible for severe form of inherited epilepsy

University of Virginia School of Medicine scientists have used a next-generation form of gene editing to fix the underlying cause of a severe form of epilepsy in lab mice.

7 Apr 2026

Continuous wearable monitoring improves postoperative oxygen levels and patient safety

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.

24 Mar 2026

Doctors urge smarter use of universal donor blood amid shortages

As blood banks across the U.S. report dangerously low supplies of O-negative blood (red blood cells) - commonly called the "universal donor" - anesthesiologists are calling for increased donation and changes in how hospitals use the "universal donor" blood type, according to a new Innovation in Practice article published online in Anesthesiology Open, an official journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA).

19 Mar 2026

New compound shows promise in protecting the liver from damage after small bowel surgery

When parts of the small intestine are diseased or die, the treatment can involve surgically removing the affected tissue.

6 Mar 2026

CU Anschutz School of Medicine rises in national NIH funding rankings

The University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine continues to boost its standing in the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research (BRIMR) rankings, moving to No. 8 among public medical schools in the nation and to No. 21 among all medical schools, with half of its 18 clinical Departments landing in the top 15.

19 Feb 2026

4D-printed vascular stents expand naturally at body temperature

Cardiovascular diseases constitute a major global health concern. Various complications that affect normal blood flow in arteries and veins, such as stroke, blood clot formation in veins, blood vessel rupture, and coronary artery disease, often require vascular treatments.

6 Feb 2026

Cannabis shows anti-migraine benefits

In a recent study, published in Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine demonstrate for the first time in a placebo-controlled clinical trial that cannabis is effective to treat acute migraine.

30 Jan 2026

Oral cancer pain and opioid tolerance share a common EGFR mechanism

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling in the tissue around oral cancers both increases nerve sensitivity and makes opioids less effective, according to new research published in Science Signaling.

29 Jan 2026

AI predicts health outcomes for premature newborns from blood samples

An artificial intelligence-based tool can predict the medical trajectories of individual premature newborns from blood samples collected soon after they are born, a Stanford Medicine-led study has shown.

21 Jan 2026

Disease-responsive nanoparticles enable ghrelin mRNA therapy in osteoarthritis

Nitin Joshi, PhD, and Jingjing Gao, PhD, of the Department of Anesthesiology at Mass General Brigham, are the co-senior authors of a paper published in Nature Nanotechnology, "A disease-severity-responsive nanoparticle enables potent ghrelin mRNA therapy in osteoarthritis." Mahima Dewani, PhD, is the lead author of this study.

14 Jan 2026

More surgical patients on opioid use disorder treatment demand updated pain care

As more Americans receive treatment for opioid use disorder, that progress is increasingly showing up in the operating room, creating an urgent need to modernize how pain is managed during and after major surgery, according to a study in the February 2026 issue of Anesthesiology, the peer-reviewed medical journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA).

13 Jan 2026

Replenishing mitochondria significantly reduces chronic nerve pain, research shows

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.

7 Jan 2026

Understanding sevoflurane-induced neurogenesis inhibition and cognitive dysfunction in children

Every year, millions of infants and children undergo surgery under general anesthesia in the world. Sevoflurane is a commonly used pediatric anesthetic. Its exposure during brain development has been shown to inhibit neurogenesis and cause cognitive dysfunction in animal models.

5 Jan 2026

Children’s Hospital Colorado completes its first heart and liver dual transplant

Children's Hospital Colorado (Children's Colorado) successfully performed the hospital's first-ever heart and liver dual organ transplant, with support from dozens of team members across 25 different multidisciplinary care teams.

19 Dec 2025

Scientists uncover molecular mechanism behind chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy

Chemotherapy activates a stress sensor in immune cells, triggering inflammation and nerve damage, which may help explain why many cancer patients experience debilitating pain as a side effect, according to a new study by Weill Cornell Medicine and Wake Forest University School of Medicine researchers

20 Nov 2025

Local anesthetic lidocaine may mitigate pancreatic cancer metastasis

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.

13 Nov 2025