[Anesthetic Management of Patients with Respiratory Disease: Preface and Comments]

Respiratory complications are the major causes of anesthesia-related death or irreversible brain damage. Recently, the incidence and severity of bronchial asthma, obesity and sleep apnea are increasing, and because of advancement of medical care, surgery is increasingly carried out in patients with moderate or severe respiratory complications. In this special issue, preoperative assessment and treatment methods of patients with upper respiratory tract infection, bron- chial asthma, sleep apnea, deformed airways, chronic obstructive lung disease, or restrictive respiratory dis- ease are discussed, followed by anesthesia and airway management methods during anesthesia, including treatment of each respiratory disease.