Perioperative Considerations for Gender-Affirming Surgery

AbstractPurpose of ReviewAs perioperative patient advocates, anesthesiology providers should be well prepared to deliver compassionate gender-affirming care to their transgender patients. The purpose of this paper is to identify areas where there is a lack of knowledge and to review this standard of care and to highlight high-yield topics that are directly applicable to the perioperative care of transgender patients.Recent FindingsA wide range of anatomical, physiological, psychological, and anatomical changes exist within the transgender and gender-diverse community who seek gender-affirming care. Resources such as the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) standard of care version 8 and UCSF Guidelines for the Primary and Gender-Affirming Care of Transgender and Gender Nonbinary People are valuable resources to guide your management.SummaryThe lack of knowledge about gender-affirming care results in discrimination against the transgender and gender-diverse community. There should be a focus on educating anesthesiology providers on gender-affirming care and highlighting possible challenges that these patients might pose in perioperative period.
Source: Current Anesthesiology Reports - Category: Anesthesiology Source Type: research