• Yan Feng, Pan Chang, Jin Liu, and Wen-Sheng Zhang.
• Department of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, China; Department of Anesthesiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China; Laboratory of Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, National-Local Joint Engineering Research Centre of Translational Medicine of Anesthesiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China.
• J Clin Anesth. 2024 Jun 1; 94: 111367111367.

AbstractThe adrenal gland is a vital endocrine organ, and adrenal steroid synthesis and secretion are closely regulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in response to various stimuli. Surgery or trauma can activate the HPA axis and induce the secretion of cortisol. Different cortisol responses vary with the grade of surgery. Perioperative medications have the potential to decrease the cortisol level in the body, and both excessive and insufficient cortisol levels after surgery are disadvantageous. The effect of perioperative medications on the HPA response to surgery can be divided into three levels: "adrenal insufficiency (AI)", "stress response inhibition", and "uncertainty". The clinical presentation of AI includes fatigue, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, muscle cramps, hypotension, hypovolemic shock and prerenal failure, which may result in fatal consequences. Stress response inhibition can reduce postoperative complications, such as pain and cognitive dysfunction. This is protective to patients during perioperative and postoperative periods. The aim of the present review is to shed light on current evidence regarding the exact effects and mechanisms of perioperative medications on the HPA response to surgical injury and provide the applicable guidance on clinical anesthesia.Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

20 keywords...

hide…