A RESOLUTION recognizing January 25 to 31, 2026, as Physician Anesthesiologist Week.

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A RESOLUTION recognizing January 25 to 31, 2026, as Physician 1
Anesthesiologist Week. 2
WHEREAS, physician anesthesiologists have advanced patient care throughout the 3
history of modern medicine, by shaping what is possible in surgical care, pain 4
management, and critical care; and 5
WHEREAS, the invention and clinical introduction of anesthesia, in the form of 6
ether, chloroform, nitrous oxide, and later modern agents such as halothane, sevoflurane, 7
propofol, and remifentanil by physician anesthesiologists has made painless surgery 8
possible and is often cited as the most important medical advance in history; and 9
WHEREAS, the innovation and advancement of airway management and intubation 10
techniques and devices by physician anesthesiologists ensures every breath a patient 11
takes during surgery is protected; and 12
WHEREAS, the innovation of the Apgar Score, a test created by anesthesiologist 13
Dr. Virginia Apgar, which ensures a bab y’s health is assessed at birth, significantly 14
transformed obstetric care; and 15
WHEREAS, the innovation of mechanical ventilation and ventilator management 16
perfected by physician anesthesiologists helped lead to the creation of the modern 17
intensive care unit, saving millions of lives worldwide; and 18
WHEREAS, physician anesthesiologists’ innovation of patient safety science and 19
safety monitoring, including pulse oximetry, has changed how patients’ heart and lung 20
function and blood oxygenation levels are monitored in the operating room and standards 21
on basic anesthetic monitoring have heralded the largest sustained reduction in 22
perioperative mortality of any specialty; and 23
WHEREAS, the innovation of regional anesthesia, such as nerve blocks, spinal 24
anesthesia an d epidurals, by physician anesthesiologists has transformed pain 25
management options, thus helping to reduce opioid use and combat the opioid epidemic; 26
and 27
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WHEREAS, the innovation of cardiothoracic, transplant, and trauma anesthesia by 1
physician anesthesiologists has made once impossible, high -risk surgeries such as open -2
heart and transplant surgeries possible; 3
NOW, THEREFORE, 4
Be it resolved by the Senate of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of 5
Kentucky: 6
Section 1. The Senate hereby recognizes January 25 to 31, 2026, as Physician 7
Anesthesiologist Week. 8
Section 2. The Clerk of the Senate is directed to transmit a copy of this 9
Resolution to Senator Donald Douglas. 10