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Review
. 2022 Jan 22;11(3):558.
doi: 10.3390/jcm11030558.

Considerations for Cannabinoids in Perioperative Care by Anesthesiologists

Krzysztof Laudanski  1 , Justin Wain  2
Affiliations
Review

Considerations for Cannabinoids in Perioperative Care by Anesthesiologists

Krzysztof Laudanski et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Increased usage of recreational and medically indicated cannabinoid compounds has been an undeniable reality for anesthesiologists in recent years. These compounds' complicated pharmacology, composition, and biological effects result in challenging issues for anesthesiologists during different phases of perioperative care. Here, we review the existing formulation of cannabinoids and their biological activity to put them into the context of the anesthesia plan execution. Perioperative considerations should include a way to gauge the patient's intake of cannabinoids, the ability to gain consent properly, and vigilance to the increased risk of pulmonary and airway problems. Intraoperative management in individuals with cannabinoid use is complicated by the effects cannabinoids have on general anesthetics and depth of anesthesia monitoring while simultaneously increasing the potential occurrence of intraoperative hemodynamic instability. Postoperative planning should involve higher vigilance to the risk of postoperative strokes and acute coronary syndromes. However, most of the data are not up to date, rending definite conclusions on the importance of perioperative cannabinoid intake on anesthesia management difficult.

Keywords: anesthesia; cannabidiol; cannabinoids; human; neocannabinoids; perioperative management; review; tetrahydrocannabinol.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Division of cannabinoids depending on the source with color-coded psychoactive potency (red: most present, yellow: less present, green: not present; blue: endocannabinoids).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Preoperative consideration in anesthesia in an individual with cannabinoid intake.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Intraoperative management of the individual with cannabinoid intake.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Postoperative consideration for cannabinoid users.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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