Technology has greatly improved the healthcare sector. There are different kinds of innovations coming out almost every day.
Most of them are geared toward improving different medical procedures. The advancement in technology has helped doctors in treating difficult conditions and carrying out surgeries.
Anesthesia is one of the areas where inventions and innovations have dominated. As much as it might be hard to determine exactly when major breakthroughs will happen, recent developments shed a gleam of hope in this particular sector.
Below are some of the current trends in Anesthesia:
Use of Data to predict outcomes
Data is a very important component for scientists. Doctors depend a lot on data to make critical decisions. Although there are several medical databases that have been used for years, it’s only recently that a nationwide database has been established, particularly for anesthesiologists.
Data obtained from these databases make it easy for doctors to record patterns across various groups of patients. This helps in making accurate predictions for future cases.
The information gotten is also important because it helps healthcare providers to take note of rare complications or reactions and take appropriate action.
Improvement of sleep in post-operative patients
Anybody who has ever had a surgery understands how it can be difficult to sleep immediately after, especially in a hospital setting. Although discomfort is always the major factor, things such as the type of anesthesia, age, surgery method, environmental stress, and medications also contribute significantly.
Being unable to sleep after an operation doesn’t only increase the pain but also extends the time of recovery. Sleep helps in promoting both physical and mental health. It is also crucial in the recovery process.
Technology has helped researchers to come up with pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies such as earplugs, dim lighting that help patients to sleep faster after an operation. This means that patients can sleep better and recover within the shortest time possible.
Anesthesia without opioids
There have been concerted efforts to reduce the use of opioids and complications associated with it. A group called opioid-free anesthesia (OFA) is increasingly becoming popular with regard to this initiative.
There’s no doubt that opioids are important when it comes to managing pain during surgeries. However, it is also a fact that opioids have major effects such as elongated recovery time and addiction among those who use it.
Management of chronic pain
Chronic effects of over 100 million people worldwide. That’s probably why several studies are ongoing to try and come up with effective solutions. Chronic pain can be defined as the pain that lasts for three months or more.
Other than limiting a person’s ability to work, relax, eat, or sleep, chronic pain also contributes to mental health. Various technologies are also under testing and trial to help in the management of chronic pain.
Reliance on technology
There has been an increase in the use of technology in the field of anesthesia. Researchers across the world are constantly in search of modern technologies that can help anesthesiologists perform their work much easier and faster.
For example, in 2013 a computerized anesthesia system called Sedasys was approved for use by the Food and Drugs Administration. It is an automated machine created to administer mild sedatives for specific surgical operations such as upper endoscopy screening and colonoscopies.
However, the system was recalled three years after it was introduced. Doctors and health experts said that it slowed down their work and had some side effects.
There are however other technologies that continue to gain momentum and offer promising results. One of them is the anesthesia information management system (AIMS). There are several factors why this technology has remained popular in the world of anesthesia.
AIMS has the ability to improve the following:
• Operation management
• Quality of care
• Cost management
• Documentation
• Reimbursement
Bottom line
There’s no doubt that a lot is happening in the field of anesthesia. Technology has proved to be a major driving force in the transformation of this sector.