The purpose of this book is to emphasize the close relationship and interdependence between anesthesiology and physiology, especially in the area of cardiovascular function. This book represents some of the most recent experimental observations and hypotheses with emphasis on the cardiovascular effects of anesthetics and the mechanisms that may be involved in normal and pathophysiological states. Many patients anesthetized for surgical procedures under general anesthesia have some degree of cardiovascular disease. Sadly, knowledge of how anesthetics and drugs used during anesthesia contribute and/or interact with altered physiological states that are responsible for cardiovascular instability is far from complete.
