Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthésie
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This brief review provides an overview and, importantly, a context perspective of relevant current practical issues in perioperative patient safety. ⋯ Recognition of the issues outlined here and empowerment of all anesthesia professionals, from the most senior professors and administrators to the newest practitioners, should help maintain, solidify, and expand the improvements in anesthesia and perioperative patient safety.
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A stroke is an uncommon but potentially devastating complication after surgery. Although hypoperfusion is often mentioned as a possible cause of a perioperative stroke, a thorough investigation is needed into the role of intraoperative and/or postoperative hypotension in the occurrence and development of perioperative cerebral ischemia. In this review article, we present an overview of the available literature on the possible role of hypotension in perioperative stroke, and we place these studies in a broader context. ⋯ Unusually low blood pressure will eventually result in neurological damage; however, the threshold and duration at which an association might be found between a perioperative stroke and hypotension have not been well investigated. Thus, the exact role of hypotension in the etiology of perioperative stroke is still largely unknown.