Abstract
Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) has brought about advancements in several areas, including anesthesiology. A description of the current state of the literature regarding the use of AI in relation to anesthesiology is needed to analyze whether AI is implemented in clinical anesthetic practice. AI and machine learning (ML) have been proven to be useful in developing effective healthcare strategies. Although AI has been employed to automate anesthetic delivery, it is not yet that common in anesthesiology and pain management.
Methods: Various studies on the diverse uses of AI in the areas related to anesthesiology were compiled from several databases such as the Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, Medline (Ovid), and PubMed from 2003 to 2023. The obtained data were then classified, condensed, and juxtaposed finally. The study included diverse permutations of AI, ML, pain, and anesthesiology.
Results: Postoperative pain has been one of the major concerns of anesthesiologists, and poor management in this regard can be associated with adverse events. In recent years, remarkable advances have been made in pain management strategies. One of them, which has attracted increasing attention, is the use of AI in anesthesiology and pain management. However, despite its great popularity, it has not been without challenges.
Conclusion: In general, most of the studies explored in this review article have envisaged a bright future for the use of AI in anesthesiology and pain management. Some studies, however, have reported mixed results. Accordingly, further investigations with larger sample sizes are required to validate these findings.