Intraoperative hypotension is associated with adverse outcomes. Although a causal relationship is yet to be fully established, proactive management of vulnerable patients and use of bispectral index monitoring is recommended to avoid deep anaesthesia.

Patient education is an important part of obtaining informed consent, but can also be used to educate patients about how to prepare for surgery and help them take responsibility for their own health to reduce their risk of perioperative complications.

Surgery during pregnancy poses clinical and ethical challenges. Although the patient is the priority, fetal wellbeing needs to be considered, while physiological, anatomical and pharmacological changes within the parturient must be accounted for.

Regional anaesthesia is effective at reducing pain and opioid consumption during the early postoperative period. This increases patient satisfaction and reduces many of the negative psychological and physiological sequelae associated with surgical stress.

Nausea and vomiting after surgery is common and can be both unpleasant and lead to an array of other adverse patient effects. Identification of high-risk patients and targeted prophylaxis can reduce its incidence and associated complications.