Johnson, Brooks W

Purpose of review The rapid growth and integration of artificial intelligence in healthcare has the potential to revolutionize all fields of medicine, including anesthesiology. This review summarizes the role of artificial intelligence in anesthesiology, highlighting how it can enhance patient safety, workflow efficiency, and research capabilities, while also examining the potential risks and ethical issues of introducing this new technology. Recent findings Evolving applications in anesthesiology include closed-loop anesthetic delivery, risk stratification, intraoperative monitoring, natural language processing for literature synthesis, and predictive modeling for adverse events. While these tools offer significant promise for improving efficiency and safety, emerging risks, such as algorithmic bias, lack of transparency, hallucinations, and automation complacency – must be carefully addressed. Regulatory frameworks, clinician education, and transparent model development are necessary to ensure responsible integration. Summary Artificial intelligence is poised to transform anesthetic care, but it must be developed and deployed with caution. Clinician oversight, robust validation, and ethical safeguards are essential to ensure artificial intelligence enhances, rather than replaces, clinical judgment. Strategic adoption can improve patient outcomes, reduce preventable harm, and streamline perioperative workflows.

Background/Objectives: Chronic pain remains a pervasive and challenging public health issue, often resistant to conventional treatments such as opioids, which carry substantial risks of dependency and adverse effects. Cannabinoids, bioactive compounds derived from the Cannabis sativa plant and their synthetic analogs, have emerged as a potential alternative for pain management, leveraging their interaction with the endocannabinoid system to modulate pain and inflammation. Methods: The current, evolving literature regarding the history, efficacy, applications, and safety of cannabinoids in the treatment of chronic pain was reviewed and summarized to provide the most current review of cannabinoids. Results: Evidence suggests that cannabinoids provide moderate efficacy in managing neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia, cancer-related pain, and multiple sclerosis-related spasticity. Patient-reported outcomes further indicate widespread perceptions of cannabinoids as a safer alternative to opioids, with potential opioid-sparing effects. However, the quality of existing evidence is limited by small sample sizes and methodological inconsistencies. Regulatory barriers, including the classification of cannabis as a Schedule I substance in the United States, continue to hinder robust research and clinical integration. Moreover, the risks associated with cannabinoids, such as psychiatric effects, addiction potential, and drug interactions, necessitate cautious application. Conclusions: Cannabinoids represent a promising, albeit complex, alternative for chronic pain management, particularly given the limitations and risks of traditional therapies such as opioids. However, significant deficiencies remain in the research. While smaller trials and systematic reviews indicate therapeutic potential, the quality of evidence is often low due to limited sample sizes, short study durations, and methodological inconsistencies. Large-scale, randomized controlled trials with long-term follow-up are urgently needed to confirm efficacy and safety across diverse patient populations and pain etiologies.

Background Post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a painful condition that presents after herpes zoster reactivation in the peripheral and central nervous system. When medical treatment fails, options are limited, and patients may suffer with chronic pain indefinitely. Case Presentation We present the case of a gentleman with a 3-year history of PHN in the distribution of the right lesser occipital and greater auricular nerves that failed to respond to medical treatment. He underwent a trial of neuromodulation, and post-operative pain scores improved by 80%, and at 60 days post-operatively his average pain score was 0 out of 10. Conclusions PNS is an effective and safe option for the treatment of chronic pain, and we present a report of successful treatment of PHN in a particularly difficult anatomic distribution. PNS of the lesser occipital and greater auricular nerves is a novel treatment for PHN and shows promise as an effective, safe therapy when other treatment fails.