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Cis 111 20170216 Recommendation Letter Draft
Cis 111 20170216 Recommendation Letter Draft
Yuhan Long
University of Kentucky
MAGNETIC NANOPARTICLE ASSISTED ANESTHESIA 2
Abstract
Anesthesia is a relatively safe procedure, but there are still deaths due to the administration of
anesthesia. The most common way of death due to it is overdosing. If we are able to better
control the ways that anesthesia is delivered into the body, we can save lives and make deaths
due to anesthesia approach zero. All of these methods found need more research, but by far the
bring anesthesia to targeted nerves through the use of a magnet. These nanoparticles are able to
lessen the spread of anesthesia, which could reduce overdoses. Another way is to use nanorobots.
This theoretical technology can potentially control the release of anesthesia into the body very
carefully. Both of these methods can potentially save lives. If lives are saved, there will be less
grief due to death and more people willingly to spend money on anesthesia during surgery.
Therefore, if more research is done on this topic, the more likely magnetic nanoparticles will
Anesthesia is used in nearly every surgery. It is important for the risk of death related to
anesthesia to be as close to zero as possible. Though death rates related to anesthesia has dropped
drastically since the 1900s, people are still dying due anesthesia. Magnetic nanoparticles
(MNPs) can be used to help guide anesthesia around the body to lessen the spread of anesthesia
to parts of the body where it would cause harm. If research advanced in MNP anesthesia
Anesthesia Mortality
MAGNETIC NANOPARTICLE ASSISTED ANESTHESIA 4
Over the past century, anesthesia related deaths has dropped. The death risk has declined
from about 1 death in 1000 anesthesia procedures in the 1940s to 1 in 100,000 in the 1990s
and early 2000s (Li, Warner, Lang, Huang, & Sun, 2009, Introduction, para. 1). Even though
the amount of deaths is so low, having a total of zero deaths due to anesthesia is a goal yet to be
achieved. In the Li et al. study, of the 2,211 recorded anesthesia-related deaths in the United
States during 1999-2005, 46.6% were attributable to overdose of anesthetics (Li et al., 2009,
Results, para. 1). These deaths could potentially be reduced if the anesthesia is more carefully
delivered.
MAGNETIC NANOPARTICLE ASSISTED ANESTHESIA 5
Usually, overdose occurs when there is too much of a drug in the body and start affecting
areas the drug shouldnt effect. According to the figure to the right retrieved from Gutierrez et
al., only 41% of anesthesia ends up in the liver to be disposed of. Since overdosing is due to the
drugs affecting body areas it is not supposed to, better control of where anesthesia goes would
In order to reduce deaths, MNPs could be used in order to directly target nerves better. I
recommend more research into this area as it has shown to potentially be a safe delivery method.
Nanorobots, theoretically, can be another possible research are to help target nerves. If
nanorobots are found to be able, they may be even better than MNPs due to there being more
MNPs manipulated by magnets have been tested in rats to achieve a nerve block. In the
peer reviewed study of Mantha et al., they have established proof of principle that it is possible
to produce ankle block in the rat by IV injection of MNP/Ropiv complexes and magnet
application at the ankle (2014). This shows that MNPs can be directed inside the body toward a
nerve to achieve a block with a magnet. With more research as recommended, we should be able
The theoretical nanorobots have potential on being a great drug delivery method.
Senthilnathan et al. note, in a peer reviewed study, that nanorobots are designed to release the
drug continuously at a particular site (2016, Abstract, para. 1). This shows that it may be
possible to place a nanorobot into the body and have it continuously release anesthesia as
needed. This release can then be stopped when needed to reduce excess drug release, reducing
overdosing numbers.
MAGNETIC NANOPARTICLE ASSISTED ANESTHESIA 7
In Brazil, according to Braz et al. from the Department of Anesthesiology of the Botucatu
Medical School, most cases of anesthesia-related mortality are associated with cardiocirculatory
and airway events (2009, Abstract, para. 1). This can potentially be used to claim that
nanoparticles will not be useful because they dont manage cardiocirculatory and airway issues.
MNPs can control where drug particles go, limiting the needed of syringes to approach
dangerous areas such as the heart or lungs. If MNPs are more researched, they could be used to
make sure the anesthesia does not go to the lungs or heart after the procedure is over.
People may wonder why to spend money on researching anesthesia delivery when there
is no space for rationalizing the costs of anesthetics and other drugs in anesthesia (Majstorovi
et al., 2012). Money spent on research for nanoparticles will earn money in the long term, not
short term. If there are less deaths, less people will worry about anesthesia doing harm, which
would result in more people using anesthesia. That would result in more money earned. This
study only talks about reducing material costs. There are still ways for anesthesia to have minor
price reductions such as anesthesiologists Bucx et al. recommending the use of price stickers to
Overall, we should place more research into the topic of using magnetic nanoparticles
and nanorobots in anesthesia delivery. By controlling the anesthesia better once it is inside the
body, we will be able to further limit overdoses and toxic effects of anesthesia going to the
wrong places. This will likely save lives, boosting the willingness of people to use anesthesia,
References
Braz, L. G., Braz, D. G., da Cruz, D. S., Fernandes, L. A., Mdolo, N. S. P., & Braz, J. R. C.
1006. doi:10.1590/S1807-59322009001000011
Bucx, M. J. L., Landman, J. J., van Onzenoort, H. A. W., Kox, M., & Scheffer, G. J. (2014, April
doi:10.1111/anae.12687
Gutierrez, L., Mejias, R., Lazaro, F. J., Serna, C. J., Barber, D. F., & Morales, M. P. (2012,
doi:10.1109/TMAG.2012.2221162
MAGNETIC NANOPARTICLE ASSISTED ANESTHESIA 9
Korayem, A., Korayem, M., Taheri, M. (2015, September). Robust Controlled Manipulation of
Nanoparticles Using the AFM Nanorobot Probe. Arabian Journal for Science &
doi:10.1007/s13369-015-1730-x
Li, G., Warner, M., Lang, B. H., Huang, L., & Sun, L. S. (2009, April). Epidemiology of
Majstorovi, B. M., Kastratovi, D. A., Milakovi, B. D., Markovi, S. Z., Mijajlovi, M. S.,
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22452236
Mantha, V. R. R., Nair, H. K., Venkataramanan, R., Gao, Y. Y., Matyjaszewski, K., Dong, H., Li,
W., Landsittel, D., Cohen, E., & Lariviere, W. R. (2014, June). Nanoanesthesia: A Novel,
doi:10.1213/ANE.0000000000000175
Senthilnathan, B., Beloy, J., L, S., P, V., & Robertson, S. (2016). Nanorobots A Hypothetical
http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uky.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=6c232580-
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