Endocrinology in Anesthesia-Resuscitation

The success of the anesthetic act depends on several factors including the competence of the Anesthesiologist, the availability of the appropriate equipment and the availability of anesthetic drugs etc... Anesthesia generally produces hormonal and metabolic changes that every anesthesiologist must know and master in order to be able to conduct an anesthesia that guarantees intra- and postoperative safety (Safe anaesthesia). These modifications are mainly of two origins: (1) the stress experienced by the patient during the peri-operative period (2) the pharmacological action of the different drugs used during the anesthetic act. They result mainly from the reaction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the sympathetic system, which also plays an important role in the stress response. The medullary area of the adrenal glands belongs to the sympathetic system and any factor that increases the stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system results in the secretion of catecholamines (adrenaline, noradrenaline).