Key result
Individualized anesthetic dosing reduces complication risk versus empirical dosing.
Individualized dosing of anesthetic agents based on pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics is replacing empirical dosing to decrease complication risks.
Supports individualized dosing strategies; leaves open confirmation in randomized trials before practice change.
The development of fundamental pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics concepts has enabled anesthesiologists to choose and dose anesthetic agents on a rational basis. The application of these concepts to a variety of clinical scenarios and patient populations makes it possible to individualize the dose, thereby decreasing the risk of complications. As more knowledge is gained about the sometimes profound differences in drug response, empirical dosing such as in milligrams per kilogram of total body weight is disappearing from the anesthesia specialty.
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Lemmens et al. (2012) conducted a review in Anesthesia. Individualized dosing of anesthetic agents vs. Empirical dosing was evaluated. Individualized dosing of anesthetic agents based on pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic concepts decreases the risk of complications compared to empirical dosing.
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