Case Reports in Anesthesiology 2026

Anesthesiology and perioperative medicine continue to evolve rapidly, driven by innovations in pharmacology, advanced hemodynamic monitoring, and the increasing complexity of surgical patients. Despite standardized protocols and evidence-based guidelines, individual patient cases frequently challenge clinical expectations—revealing rare physiological responses, unexpected procedural complications, or exceptional outcomes following innovative anesthetic techniques. This Research Topic aims to curate high-quality case reports that deepen the understanding of anesthetic practice and translate clinical observation into improved patient safety and perioperative care.

This collection will highlight unique, well-documented case reports that meaningfully advance the field of Anesthesiology. By presenting detailed analyses of rare, surprising, or highly instructive cases, this Research Topic seeks to enhance mechanistic understanding of anesthesia-related events, stimulate clinical and scientific discussion, and inform future research and best practices. Each case report should provide clear educational value, demonstrating diagnostic reasoning, interpretation of intraoperative data, and thoughtful therapeutic decision-making with direct relevance to clinical management.

To ensure a focused and impactful collection, this Research Topic will strictly include Case Reports (and, where appropriate, clinically cohesive single-case descriptions with strong mechanistic or therapeutic insight). Submissions must be original and should offer clear novelty, such as new insights into anesthetic complications, rare patient syndromes in the perioperative setting, or innovative approaches to pain management and critical care.

This Research Topic is intentionally broad across the spectrum of anesthesia and perioperative medicine, while remaining centered on clinical management and patient outcomes, including:

• Challenges in Airway Management: Cases involving difficult or unique airway scenarios that required innovative rescue strategies or the use of emerging technologies.

• Regional Anesthesia and Pain Management: Unique applications of nerve blocks, rare complications of regional techniques, or innovative multidisciplinary approaches to acute and chronic pain.

• High-Risk and Special Populations: Anesthetic management of patients with rare genetic syndromes, complex multi-organ failure, or extreme age (neonatal or centenarian) requiring tailored physiological support.

• Advanced Monitoring and Diagnostics: Cases demonstrating the impact of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), or advanced neuromonitoring on intraoperative decision-making.

• Critical Care and Postoperative Recovery: Complex transitions from the operating room to the intensive care unit, including the management of post-surgical organ dysfunction or sepsis.

• Innovative Pharmacological Applications: Off-label use of anesthetics, adjuncts, or reversal agents supported by strong clinical rationale and successful patient outcomes.

• Patient Safety and Systems Improvement: Exceptional cases that highlight human factors, crisis resource management, or systemic changes that materially influenced the clinical course.

Studies focused primarily on routine clinical practice without a clear emphasis on novelty, mechanism, or significant educational value are out of scope for this Research Topic.

To be eligible for inclusion, manuscripts must have “Case Report” in the article title.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review

Keywords: Anesthesiology, Case Report, Pain Management, Critical Care

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.