Anaesthesia
-
Cancer research has revolutionised the treatment, quality of life and life expectancy of people living with cancer. Systemic anti-cancer treatments have expanded to involve not only cytotoxic drugs, but targeted drugs and immunotherapy. Although highly effective in many patients, these drugs can cause serious and sometimes life-threatening adverse reactions. As part of their treatment, many patients living with cancer will be offered both systemic anti-cancer therapy and surgery, and many patients will undergo recurrent episodes of both with the aims of cure, palliation or prolongation of life expectancy. It is important for anaesthetists to understand the effects of systemic anti-cancer therapy on their patients. ⋯ It is important for anaesthetists to have a comprehensive understanding of the effects of systemic anti-cancer therapies, including cytotoxic and immunotherapies. There are many potential toxicities and complications associated with these treatments, particularly in the context of emergency surgery and the administration of cytotoxic drugs within the operating theatre environment.
-
Regional anaesthesia provides important clinical benefits to patients but is underutilised. A barrier to widespread adoption may be the focus of regional anaesthesia research on novel techniques rather than evaluating and optimising existing approaches. Research priorities in regional anaesthesia identified by anaesthetists have been published, but the views of patients, carers and other healthcare professionals have not been considered previously. Therefore, we launched a multidisciplinary research priority setting partnership that aimed to establish key regional anaesthesia research priorities for the UK. ⋯ This initiative has resulted in a list of research questions prioritised by patients, carers and a multidisciplinary group of healthcare professionals that should be used to inform and support future regional anaesthesia research in the UK.