緒言とまとめ

Avoiding Surgical Restrictions due to Anesthetic Drug Shortages：Introduction and Summary

　医学医療の歴史は医学研究をもとに，医薬品の開発，医療機器の発達によるところが大きい。このたび，新型コロナウイルス感染症（coronavirus disease 2019：COVID-19）の世界的な感染拡大という人類の危機をきっかけとした “医薬品の不足” という前代未聞の状況に見舞われた。これまでは，医療に使用する医薬品は，患者のためならいつでも・どこでも使用できるといったある意味傲慢な感覚でいたのであるが，これが当たり前ではないという現実に直面した。

　The global spread of COVID-19 triggered a collapse in the supply and demand balance of anesthetics, revealing the fragility of the stable supply of the anesthetics used in surgical procedures. Additional components of a stable supply of anesthetics are the production and distribution of pharmaceuticals, which are also affected by global events such as wars, demonstrating that a disruption in one part of the global system can cause a chain reaction of problems. The medical care that is essential for the health of all humanity is affected by global social conditions, economic activities, and logistics. It is crucial to reconsider the stable supply of anesthetic agents from a global and multifaceted perspective, taking into account the patients who benefit from anesthetics, the healthcare providers who deliver the anesthetics, and the administrative bodies, companies, and logistics networks that support the production and distribution of anesthetics. We introduce and summarize the strategies that can be applied to avoid surgery-related restrictions that are due to a shortage of anesthetic drugs.