Nearly 100 wildfires are currently raging throughout the country, burning more than 2 million acres. The rising frequency of these fires poses a special concern for anesthesiologists – the potential for increased rates of adverse outcomes from anesthesia and surgery among patients exposed to wildfire smoke, according to a special article in the Online First edition of Anesthesiology , the peer-reviewed journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). Wildfire smoke causes inflammation and is known to worsen heart and lung disease and pregnancy outcomes.
At a time of rising global exposure, anesthesiologists need to be equipped to manage the potential adverse effects of wildfire smoke exposure on perioperative outcomes." Vijay Krishnamoorthy, M.D.
, M.P.H.
, Ph. D., senior author, chief of the Critical Care Medicine Division and associate professor of anesthesiology and population health sciences at Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina Over the past two decades, about 60% of countries have experienced increased wildfires and smoke exposure.
Wildfire smoke contains a complex mix of fine particles and chemicals producing inflammation and oxidative stress (low antioxidant levels). Once inhaled, particles enter the circulatory system and can damage the heart, lungs and other organs. Inhaled particles can also injure the lining of blood vessels (endothelium), as well as activate platelets and inflammatory cells and clotting abnormalities in small .