Implications of pharmacogenomics for anesthesia providers

The practice of anesthesia has long been considered an art and a science, with interpatient variability in drug response being the rule, rather than the exception. Pharmacogenomics, which studies the role of genetics in drug response, is emerging as a discipline that may impact anesthetic management. The purpose of this review is to provide clinicians with basic knowledge related to pharmacogenomics and its implications in anesthesia. This review focuses on pharmacogenomics related to commonly used drugs in anesthesia. Pharmacogenomics as a predictor of drug response is increasingly used in medicine and drug development. By expanding the knowledge base of anesthesia providers, pharmacogenomic considerations have the potential to improve therapeutic outcomes and individualize drug therapy, while avoiding toxic effects and treatment failure. However, because pharmacogenomics may not fully explain variability in drug response, implementation should be in conjunction with traditional anesthesia considerations.