Cardiothoracic anaesthesia and intensive care: current challenges and novelties

There have been major advances in the practice of cardiothoracic anaesthesia and intensive care over the last 20 years. Fast track surgery, prehabilitation, increased complexity of the surgical procedures and development of new surgical techniques require constant evolution of the perioperative care in practice. Some of the ongoing challenges include improving perioperative outcomes in the elderly, obese and/or frail patients. Also, during the COVID-19 pandemic many centres experienced a significant reduction in the number of operations performed which already negatively affects public health. Thus organisational and logistical improvements to increase the number of surgeries are of growing interest.

This special issue aims to cover topics related to the current challenges in cardiothoracic anaesthesia and intensive care, including novel approaches to perioperative management of patients undergoing cardiothoracic surgery. Educational topics are also encouraged.

We look forward to original research articles, reviews of the challenging topics and novelties in the field. We will also accept up to 1 case report/series and 1-2 opinion papers reflecting on the much needed future developments of the field.