Mdoloris Medical Systems SAS reported it has developed an automated system for regulating perioperative pain based on continuous optimization of parasympathetic tone. Closed-loop control systems are still rare in the anesthesia space, but they provide greater reliability in achieving set objectives, reduce the risk of human error and free the anesthesiologist from the burden of manually adapting the administration of the various therapies required for surgery.
West China Hospital, Sichuan University has described heteroatom-substituted aromatic compounds reported to be useful for the treatment of pain and as general anesthetics.
The U.S. FDA has applied a class I designation to the recall of Flow-c and Flow-e anesthesia systems manufactured by Getinge AB of Gothenburg, Sweden, due to reports of faulty on-off switches, which could lead to a failure to provide the needed suction. While no injuries or fatalities have been reported in connection with the problem, the FDA said one possible consequence of device failure is pulmonary obstruction that could ultimately lead to death.
Researchers at Duke University have identified a region in the central amygdala – more often thought of as a processing hub for emotions – that could suppress pain when activated.