In clinical anesthesia, the success of our practice is not determined only by drugs, monitors, or machines, but by how well we establish contact, maintain communication, and build connection—not just with patients, but with their biology. Every anesthetic encounter is a dialogue between human physiology and our interventions.

This article reframes routine anesthetic practice as an ongoing conversation with physiology, pharmacology, and pathology, highlighting the hidden language anesthesiologists use every day.

References

1. Miller RD, Eriksson LI, Fleisher LA, Wiener-Kronish JP, Cohen NH, Young WL, editors. Miller’s Anesthesia. 9th ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier; 2020.
2. Weinger MB, Slagle JM. Human factors research in anesthesia patient safety: techniques to elucidate factors affecting clinical task performance and decision making. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2002;9(Suppl 6):S58–63.

• Patient-Level Contact
• Gaining intravenous access is not just “putting in a line.” It is contact with the bloodstream, opening a gateway to influence cardiac output, preload, and vascular tone.
• Airway examination is contact with anatomy. By assessing Mallampati or thyromental distance, you establish the first dialogue with airway structures that may later resist intubation or cooperate with a supraglottic airway.
• Physiology-Level Contact
• Every induction agent is our first touchpoint with the central nervous system. Propofol “contacts” GABA-A receptors, enhancing chloride channel opening, hyperpolarizing neurons, and initiating hypnosis.
• Dexmedetomidine “contacts” α2-adrenergic receptors in the locus coeruleus, decreasing norepinephrine release and producing sedation that resembles natural sleep.
• Succinylcholine “contacts” nicotinic acetylcholine receptors at the neuromuscular junction, depolarizing muscle membranes to produce fasciculations before paralysis.
• Broader Clinical Examples
• In neurosurgery, hyperventilation reduces CO₂, “contacting” cerebral vessels to constrict and lower ICP.
• In obstetric anesthesia, spinal anesthesia “contacts” maternal sympathetic outflow, lowering vascular tone but indirectly affecting uteroplacental perfusion.
• In pediatrics, IV induction with propofol must be rapid yet gentle, as children’s higher metabolic rates mean physiology “responds faster.”

Clinical Pearl: Poor contact (failed IV, missed vein, unanticipated airway difficulty) often results from failing to anticipate how the body presents itself for dialogue.

References

3. Hemmings HC, Egan TD. Pharmacology and Physiology for Anesthesia. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier; 2019.

4. Morgan GE, Mikhail MS, Murray MJ, Larson CP. Clinical Anesthesiology. 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2022.

5. Brown EN, Lydic R, Schiff ND. General anesthesia, sleep, and coma. N Engl J Med. 2010;363(27):2638–50.

An anesthesiologist does not “control” physiology—we communicate with it.

• Hemodynamics
• Phenylephrine speaks firmly to α1-adrenergic receptors: “Constrict,” raising systemic vascular resistance.
• Nitroglycerin gently requests relaxation through nitric oxide–mediated cGMP pathways.
• The blood pressure cuff “listens” every few minutes, providing feedback on whether the message was...

Anesthesiology is a discipline of precision and urgency, where clinicians must respond to rapidly evolving physiological and technological stimuli. These responses, often reflexive, can determine patient outcomes in critical moments. However, automaticity in decision-making may lead to errors, particularly in complex or ambiguous scenarios. Viktor Frankl’s concept of the “space between stimulus and response” emphasizes the opportunity for deliberate choice, offering a paradigm to enhance clinical reasoning and ethical practice in anesthesia.

This article provides comprehensive clinical practice guidance for anesthesiologists to integrate this “space” into their workflow. It explores:

• The neurocognitive basis of decision-making under stress.
• Clinical scenarios where reflective pauses prevent errors.
• Practical strategies for cultivating this space through training and systems design.
• Ethical and professional implications for patient care and clinician well-being.

Anesthesiologists encounter a range of intraoperative and perioperative stimuli requiring immediate attention. These include:

• Hemodynamic changes: Hypotension, hypertension, tachycardia, or bradycardia.
• Ventilatory disturbances: Hypoxia, hypercapnia, or elevated airway pressures.
• Device-related signals: Alarms from monitors, ventilators, or infusion pumps; waveform abnormalities (e.g., capnography, pulse oximetry).
• Patient-related events: Unexpected movement, anaphylaxis, or laryngospasm.
• Team dynamics: Communication breakdowns or urgent requests from surgical teams.

These stimuli often trigger rapid responses shaped by training, protocols, and experience.

Reflexive responses:

• Driven by pattern recognition and ingrained algorithms (e.g., Advanced Cardiac Life Support protocols).
• Advantageous in clear, time-sensitive scenarios (e.g., ventricular fibrillation requiring defibrillation).
• Risk premature closure or inappropriate action in ambiguous cases (e.g., treating hypotension with vasopressors without assessing volume status).

Deliberate responses:

• Involve pausing to assess context, re-evaluate data, and consider alternatives.
• Require cognitive effort to override automaticity and engage higher-order reasoning.
• Mitigate errors by addressing diagnostic uncertainty and incorporating team input.

Role of the “space”:

• Acts as a cognitive buffer, allowing clinicians to shift from reflex to reflection.
• Enhances situational awareness, critical thinking, and ethical consideration.

Amygdala-prefrontal cortex interaction:

• Acute stress activates the amygdala, prioritizing rapid, survival-oriented responses (LeDoux, 2000).
• This suppresses prefrontal cortex functions, including working memory, impulse control, and moral reasoning.
• Prolonged stress may impair cognitive flexibility, increasing reliance on heuristics.

Implications for anesthesia:

• High-stakes environments (e.g., trauma surgery) amplify amygdala-driven responses.
• Deliberate pausing restores prefrontal engagement, enabling nuanced decision-making.

Definition:

• Cognitive load refers to the mental effort required to process...

• Anesthesia is not static; it is a living discipline that evolves with every patient, study, and clinical encounter.
• The OR tempts anesthesiologists to fall back on routine—repetition feels safe.
• The real risk is not mistakes, but not knowing what you don’t know.
• Maturity in anesthesia lies in recognizing knowledge gaps and addressing them continually.
• Each case is both a challenge and a learning opportunity.

• 54-year-old woman, obese (BMI 34), hypertensive, ASA II.
• Planned laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
• Standard balanced GA with intubation.

• Sudden hypotension (MAP 45) and tachycardia (HR 125) after insufflation.
• Initial reflex: fluids and phenylephrine bolus → ineffective.
• True mechanism:
• Pneumoperitoneum ↑ intra-abdominal pressure → ↓ venous return → ↓ cardiac output.
• Reverse Trendelenburg further reduces preload.
• Obesity worsens baseline diaphragmatic mechanics and venous return.

• Release pneumoperitoneum temporarily.
• Flatten table, reassess hemodynamics.
• Corrects issue without unnecessary vasopressors.

• Applying pathophysiology transforms crisis management.
• "Routine" cases are not routine when physiology is forgotten.

• 62-year-old male with COPD and mild pulmonary hypertension.
• Lumbar decompression under GA.
• Intubation uneventful, but after prone positioning → SpO₂ drops to 88%.

• Common reflex: increase FiO₂.
• Missed physiology:
• Prone positioning may reduce FRC if abdomen compressed.
• COPD → low FRC forces tidal volumes into smaller units → increased shunt.
• Pulmonary hypertension limits reserve, risks RV strain during hypoxia.

• Adjust positioning to free abdomen.
• Moderate PEEP and gentle recruitment.
• Restore oxygenation without excessive pressures.

• Troubleshooting requires understanding V/Q mechanics, not just treating numbers.
• Without physiology, responses are blind guesses.

• Admitting ignorance is uncomfortable. It means:
• Accepting you don’t know something you should.
• Realizing you may have been getting by without knowing.
• Committing time and effort to truly learn.
• In anesthesia, quick fixes work for physiology—not for ignorance.
• Mastery comes only through deliberate, incremental learning.

• Micro-reflection: After each case, ask: What did I not fully understand?
• One-concept learning: Learn one new mechanism, drug effect, or disease feature daily.
• Cross-disciplinary study: Physiology, pharmacology, immunology, genetics all enrich practice.
• Scenario rehearsal: Imagine worst-case events and...