Monitoring and Preserving Organ Function in Cardiovascular Anesthesia and Critical Care

Abstract

Maintaining organ function and closely monitoring vital signs are necessary in heart-lung anesthesia and critical care. Since oxygen and nutrients are provided via the circulatory system to all organs and tissues, any disruption in its functioning may have negative consequences.

A condition of general anesthesia (GA) would be necessary for the patient to undergo several surgical operations. The patient exhibited the key elements of a successful GA: a reversible loss of consciousness with no movement, no awareness, no response to painful stimuli, and no memory of the surgical intervention. Insufficient GA can result in either an extended recovery period and a higher chance of postoperative problems for the patient (from overdosage) or intraoperative consciousness with recall (from patient underdosage). One major reason for insufficient GA is the limited capacity doctors now must assess awareness levels.