GASEOUS ANESTHETICS

Course overview

ANESTHESIOLOGISTS HAVE SEVERAL TOOLS FOR DIMINISHING PAIN, AWARENESS, MOVEMENT, AND THE HEMODYNAMIC DERANGEMENTS OF STRESS IN THE SURGICAL PATIENT. GASEOUS ANESTHETICS USED MOST COMMONLY TODAY ARE A SINGLE GAS NITROUS OXIDE AND VOLATILE FLUORINATED LIQUIDS (ISOFLURANE, DESFLURANE, SEVOFLURANE) ADMINISTERED VIA SPECIFIC VAPORIZERS THAT TRANSFORM THE LIQUIDS INTO GASES THAT DIMINISH AND, AT HIGHER DOSES, ERADICATE PATIENT AWARENESS. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE HISTORY, PROPOSED FUNCTION, CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE, AND PERTINENT ISSUES CONCERNING OF GASEOUS ANESTHETICS.