Key result
Recent advances in anesthesia technology, including closed-loop automation, non-invasive monitoring, and telemedicine, are poised to increase the scalability and efficiency of perioperative care.
Why the study?
The practice of anesthesiology is inextricably dependent upon technology, which has made anesthetics safer, more scalable, and efficient.
Technological advances in automation, non-invasive monitoring, and clinical decision support are poised to significantly transform the practice of anesthesiology.
May enhance perioperative scalability; leaves open prospective RCTs to confirm safety and outcomes.
The practice of anesthesiology is inextricably dependent upon technology. Anesthetics were first made possible, then increasingly safe, and now more scalable and efficient in part due to advances in monitoring and delivery technology. Herein, we discuss salient advances of the last three years in the technology of anesthesiology. Consumer technology and telemedicine have exploded onto the scene of outpatient medicine, and perioperative management is no exception. Preoperative evaluations have been done via teleconference, and copious consumer-generated health data is available. Regulators have acknowledged the vast potential found in the transfer of consumer technology to medical practice, but issues of privacy, data ownership/security, and validity remain. Inside the operating suite, monitoring has become less invasive, and clinical decision support systems are common. These technologies are susceptible to the "garbage in, garbage out" conundrum plaguing artificial intelligence, but they will improve as network latency decreases. Automation looms large in the future of anesthesiology as closed-loop anesthesia delivery systems are being tested in combination (moving toward a comprehensive system). Moving forward, consumer health companies will search for applications of their technology, and loosely regulated health markets will see earlier adoption of next-generation technology. Innovations coming to anesthesia will need to account for human factors as the anesthesia provider is increasingly considered a component of the patient care apparatus.
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Seger et al. (2020) conducted a review in Anesthesia. Anesthesia technology (automation, monitoring, telemedicine) was evaluated. Recent advances in anesthesia technology, including closed-loop automation, non-invasive monitoring, and telemedicine, are poised to increase the scalability and efficiency of perioperative care.