Epitope Health
Menu
Not medical advice. Possible anaphylaxis: use epinephrine and call 911.Read the full note

Epitope Health teaches what published research and FDA labels say, and how strong that evidence is. It cannot know your situation, and nothing here is a diagnosis, a dose for one person, or a decision about whether a food, medicine or procedure suits one person. Those decisions belong with a licensed clinician who can examine you.

If a reaction is happening now, use epinephrine if it has been prescribed and call 911. After surgery, trouble breathing or chest pain needs 911. If you are thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988, any time.

A long, quiet hallway with sunlight falling across the floor
Home / Surgery Ready / Start here

A procedure on the calendar?

Colonoscopy, cataract surgery, joint replacement, labor, dental sedation and cosmetic surgery.

6 guides, about 12 minutes in all

Read this first

Colonoscopy and endoscopy sedation

How sedation for scopes works, what the trials found about propofol, and why GLP-1 medicines and blood thinners come up beforehand.

Read the guideFor clinicians

Then, in this order

  1. Cataract surgery

    What guidelines say about numbing the eye, and what a large trial found about routine tests before cataract surgery.

    2 min read4 sourcesFor clinicians

  2. Hip and knee replacement

    What large studies found about spinal versus general anesthesia for joint replacement, and why nerve blocks are recommended.

    2 min read7 sourcesFor clinicians

  3. Labor epidurals and cesarean birth

    What a Cochrane review found about epidurals for labor pain, and what is known about regional and general anesthesia for cesarean birth.

    2 min read5 sourcesFor clinicians

  4. Dental sedation

    What sedation levels mean in the dental chair, the safety system pediatric guidelines describe, and the drug label facts behind them.

    2 min read6 sourcesFor clinicians

  5. Cosmetic surgery

    What the evidence shows about sedation risks, the fat-grafting deaths task force, and what to ask about who gives anesthesia and where.

    2 min read8 sourcesFor clinicians

Questions for your anesthesia team

A printable list, with space to write the answers.

Open it

Other places to start