Anesthesiologists encounter patients with conditions such as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease all the time in their daily practice. It is crucial that all practitioners stay up to date on current techniques and methods of managing patients with these and other common medical conditions and diseases. In addition to diabetes and obesity, this issue covers the essentials of how to deal with potential problems and complications that can occur in anesthesia of patients with such conditions as asthma, emphysema, renal disease, hepatic disease, and the common diseases of aging. Other types of patients that anesthesiologists encounter with great frequency, such as the pregnant patient and the pediatric patient are also covered. Additionally, general preoperative assessment is addressed, as are topics such as atrial fibrillation, cardiac ischemia, valvular heart disease, toxins, and coagulopathies. This is a must-read for anesthesiologists to stay current in their everyday practice.