Anesthetics News and Research

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Structural insights into synchronous calcium channel gating in muscle cells

Using cryo-electron microscopy, researchers at the Max Delbrück Center have revealed how muscle cell calcium channels open synchronously.

24 Sep 2026

New slow-release drug delivery system provides weeks of pain-numbing anesthetic effects

Most local anesthetics used in medicine only last eight to 12 hours or a day tops. Now Boston Children's Hospital researchers have formulated a more effective slow-release injectable drug delivery system that achieved pain-numbing anesthetic effects lasting two to three weeks in rats compared to a commercial formulation lasting about four to eight hours.

23 Sep 2026

Updated clinical guideline offers strategies to reduce vaccination distress

A comprehensive guideline update with 16 recommendations to reduce vaccination distress, with suggestions ranging from applying topical pain relief to distractions, has been published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

21 Sep 2026

New brain wave theory explains cognition and consciousness

A new theory, published in The Journal of Neuroscience by three scientists in The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT, offers an explanation of how the brain produces cognition and consciousness: It uses traveling waves of rhythmic neural activity to coordinate nimble neural networks with analog computations.

20 Aug 2026

Brain immune cells drive recovery from ketamine anesthesia in females

During ketamine anesthesia, the brain's nerve cells fall silent-as consciousness returns, they begin to reconnect.

31 Jul 2026

Scientists discover molecular mechanism behind anesthesia-induced unconsciousness

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and Birkbeck, University of London, have identified a site where a commonly used anesthetic binds to sodium ion channels, revealing a molecular mechanism that may explain how these drugs dampen communication between neurons.

9 Jul 2026

Extreme temperatures pose growing danger to heart health

Extreme heat and cold are growing cardiovascular risks that can trigger heart attacks, strokes, heart failure and sudden cardiac death, according to a recent scientific statement by experts at Weill Cornell Medicine and other leading institutions.

8 Jun 2026

Poor pain control and consent gaps shape hysteroscopy experiences

Inconsistent care and gender biases in hysteroscopy highlight the urgent need for reforms to address pain management and improve women's healthcare experiences.

23 Apr 2026

Study finds common brain mechanism behind different anesthesia drugs

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.

17 Mar 2026

Fu's subcutaneous needling offers a safe non-pharmacological therapy for muscle-related pain

Chronic muscle tension is a common underlying factor in many pain disorders, causing reduced arterial blood flow, tissue hypoxia, and the release of inflammatory mediators.

28 Nov 2025

UIC studies reveal rise in lidocaine poisonings despite overall drop in anesthetic deaths

Over the last decade, poisonings and deaths linked to the use of local anesthetics have decreased. Even so, poisonings from one commonly used anesthetic, lidocaine, have increased in the United States, according to two new studies from the University of Illinois Chicago.

6 Oct 2025

New nanoparticle system uses ultrasound to precisely deliver drugs

The trouble with many drugs is that they go where they shouldn't, producing unwanted side effects. Psychiatric drugs might cause dissociation, painkillers can induce nausea and chemotherapy often damages healthy cells.

18 Aug 2025

Infant brain activity shows faster maturation after general anesthesia

New research published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) finds that prolonged and/or repeated exposure to gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) anesthetic agents (sevoflurane, propofol) for infants in the first two months of life resulted in an accelerated maturation of brain electrical activity patterns evoked by visual stimuli when recorded at 2-5 months of age, compared to infants who did not have early general anesthesia exposure.

30 Jul 2025

Lidocaine poisonings and deaths rise sharply in the U.S.

Poisonings and deaths linked to the use of the local anaesthetic lidocaine have nearly tripled in the US over the past decade, finds an analysis of National Poison Data System (NPDS) reports, published online in the journal Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine.

22 Jul 2025

Largest Indian genome study reveals 50,000 years of genetic history

With around 5,000 different ethno-linguistic and religious groups, India is one of the most culturally and genetically diverse countries in the world.

26 Jun 2025

New insights into how inhalational anesthetics induce general anesthesia

Since their anesthetic effects were discovered approximately 180 years ago, inhalational anesthetics have been used for general anesthesia in surgical operations.

18 Jun 2025

New plant-derived therapy shows promise for cancer pain relief

RTX is a non-addictive pain therapy derived from a cactus-like plant.

29 May 2025

EEG monitoring helps reduce anesthesia use and improves pediatric recovery

Newly published results of a randomized, controlled clinical trial in Japan among more than 170 children aged 1 to 6 who underwent surgery, show that by using EEG readings of brain waves to monitor unconsciousness, an anesthesiologist can significantly reduce the amount of the anesthesia administered to safely induce and sustain each patient's anesthetized state.

21 Apr 2025

Laughing gas can potentially transform treatment for tough-to-beat depression

Nitrous oxide-better known as "laughing gas"-can potentially transform treatment for tough-to-beat depression.

3 Apr 2025

Study questions effectiveness of physician associates in primary care and anesthetic roles

Researchers say they can find no convincing evidence that physician associates add value in UK primary care or that anesthetic associates add value in anesthetics, and some evidence suggested that they do not.

7 Mar 2025