Going Back to the Future: Anesthesia and the Human Gut Microbiome

Zachary I.  Merhavy; Colton M.  Zeitler; Thomas C.  Varkey; Marc R.  Brandon

doi:10.18502/aacc.v11i5.19939

Zachary I. Merhavy Ross University School of Medicine, Bridgetown, Barbados, USA.
Colton M. Zeitler Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine at Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ, USA.
Thomas C. Varkey Department of Neurology, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
Marc R. Brandon Arizona Anesthesia Consultants, Glendale, AZ, USA.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/aacc.v11i5.19939

Keywords: Anesthesia; Microbiota; Brain-gut axis; Artificial intelligence; Perioperative medicine; Personalized medicine; Pain management; Anesthetics

Abstract

Anesthesia in patient care, both in the perioperative period and in the pain clinic, is a challenging field to engage with - this is secondary to the fact that patients are individuals who are influenced by numerous factors, including the bacterial makeup of their microbiome and its parts. With the focus on personalized medicine as the next frontier, this narrative literature review looks at the current trend in individualized medicine, specifically regarding the use of the microbiome and artificial intelligence in the choice of different drugs for the induction and continuation of surgery as well as the management of pain syndromes in patients. This review also includes a summary of the different research directions that can take place based on the most recent data, including microbiome composition testing, therapeutic alterations, and the use of artificial intelligence to select the best drugs for treating the patient