Anesthesia Updates

Total knee arthroplasty presents one of anesthesia's biggest challenges: providing excellent pain relief while preserving the muscle strength needed for early mobilization. In this episode, we discuss a 2026 BJA Education review by Carvalho and colleagues that examines the latest evidence on perioperative optimization, spinal anesthesia, multimodal analgesia, and mot...

Coffee has long been blamed for hypertension and arrhythmias, but does the evidence support those concerns? In this episode, we review the 2026 American Heart Association Scientific Statement on caffeine and cardiovascular disease, exploring its effects on blood pressure, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, stroke, and coronary artery disease. Discover why moderate coffee con...

For years, spinal lidocaine has been avoided because of concerns about transient neurologic symptoms (TNS). But does modern evidence tell a different story? In this episode, we examine a new study published in Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine, showing an unexpectedly low incidence of TNS in more than 1,000 outpatient hip and knee arthroplasty patients.

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Should every patient stop their SGLT2 inhibitor before surgery? A new consensus published in the British Journal of Anaesthesia challenges the long-standing FDA recommendation of a universal 3–4 day hold. In this episode, we unpack the evidence, discuss which patients may actual  ly benefit from continuing therapy, and explain how to balance the risk of euglycemic di...

Two patients may both be 85 years old, but one sails through surgery while the other struggles to recover. What's the difference? In this episode, we explore a 2026 paper on frailty in anesthesia and discuss why physiological reserve, not chronological age, may be the most important predictor of perioperative outcomes. 

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