Specific opportunities for innovation in anesthesia

The healthcare industry, including anesthesiology, is constantly changing. Exciting new ways of caring for a patient are being brought into the operating room to improve healthcare and make it safer. From the days when pulse oximetry and capnography brought positive changes to anesthesia, technology has continued to grow and expand. New drugs are being discovered and telemedicine is being expanded to the operating room from the intensive care unit and outpatient clinics. Current anesthesia practice still has limitations. Innovations could make vital sign monitoring wireless, laboratory results available immediately without drawing blood, and monitoring for ischemia of the brain and other organs much simpler. Although we live in exciting times where advanced technology is used for entertainment, that technology must also be available in healthcare so that the safety and quality of patient care can continually be improved.