Anesthesiology Demystified for the Internist: Core Concepts in Perioperative Decision-Making

There are persistent misunderstandings between internal medicine and anesthesiology in perioperative care. Internists, hospitalists, and subspecialists are often asked to provide perioperative consultation, yet formal training in anesthesiology is limited. This book bridges this gap by explaining why certain intraoperative choices are made, what risks different anesthetic techniques carry, and how internists can best support patient optimization and postoperative recovery. Its purpose is to provide internists with information about anesthesiology's scope, history, pharmacology, and guiding principles to support effective collaboration. The book is organized into sections reflecting the perioperative continuum. Early chapters introduce anesthesiology's role, safety culture, and monitoring standards. Core chapters address anesthetic pharmacology, types of anesthesia, and perioperative physiology. Special chapters cover postoperative complications, pain management, and opioid stewardship, with attention to patients on buprenorphine, methadone, or illicit opioids. Case-based discussions illustrate common points of tension. The book concludes with a forward-looking chapter on perioperative medicine as a collaborative specialty. Written in an approachable, clinically relevant style, each chapter includes abstracts, key takeaways, and peer-reviewed references. Tables, clinical pearls, and case-based examples make the text practical for busy clinicians.