Is it possible to use only inhalational anesthetics for general anesthesia?!
Question: Is it possible to use only inhalational anesthetics for general anesthesia.?
I was wondering if it is possible for anesthesia to be done using only inhalational drugs (both for inducting and maintaining the anesthesia). If it's possible, how common is it.? Can it be requested.? What are the pros and cons to this method.?
Thanks!Health Question & Answer
Thanks!Health Question & Answer
Answers:
Sure is! I did it today on a baby for an MRI scan.
The reason that we don't do this for most surgeries is that the other drugs we use each have a purpose.
Opiates provide pain relief, which most people are happy to have when the gas wears off.
Neuromuscular blocking drugs relax muscles which is sometimes required for the surgeon to get the job done, or to help the patient tolerate the endotracheal tube (smokers!)
Midazolam provides sedation, decreases the need for other drugs, and helps prevent awareness under anesthesia.
Propofol (or pentothal, or etomidate) is an induction agent that gets patients to sleep quickly and safely.
We call the typical general anesthetic that involves these drugs a balanced technique anesthetic. By using smaller amounts of several drugs, we can make use of their beneficial effects while reducing side effects. If you get nothing but gas for major surgery, it might take so much to keep you under that there would be problems with maintaining blood pressure, arrhythmias, or other untoward effects.
Another reason for not doing inhalation inductions on adults is that part of the going-off-to-sleep involves a phase of excitation. We can hold a 4 year old down when this happens, but it's a bit trickier to do that for a 200 lb man. There can also be breath holding and oxygen desaturation. In the case of patients with a risk for aspiration, a mask induction would greatly increase this risk.
Mask inductions are also believed to be less pleasant than IV inductions, and we don't want to make things any more unpleasant for surgery than they already are.
You could request an inhalation only anesthetic, but I wouldn't do it for you unless there was an awfully good reason for doing so.Health Question & Answer
The reason that we don't do this for most surgeries is that the other drugs we use each have a purpose.
Opiates provide pain relief, which most people are happy to have when the gas wears off.
Neuromuscular blocking drugs relax muscles which is sometimes required for the surgeon to get the job done, or to help the patient tolerate the endotracheal tube (smokers!)
Midazolam provides sedation, decreases the need for other drugs, and helps prevent awareness under anesthesia.
Propofol (or pentothal, or etomidate) is an induction agent that gets patients to sleep quickly and safely.
We call the typical general anesthetic that involves these drugs a balanced technique anesthetic. By using smaller amounts of several drugs, we can make use of their beneficial effects while reducing side effects. If you get nothing but gas for major surgery, it might take so much to keep you under that there would be problems with maintaining blood pressure, arrhythmias, or other untoward effects.
Another reason for not doing inhalation inductions on adults is that part of the going-off-to-sleep involves a phase of excitation. We can hold a 4 year old down when this happens, but it's a bit trickier to do that for a 200 lb man. There can also be breath holding and oxygen desaturation. In the case of patients with a risk for aspiration, a mask induction would greatly increase this risk.
Mask inductions are also believed to be less pleasant than IV inductions, and we don't want to make things any more unpleasant for surgery than they already are.
You could request an inhalation only anesthetic, but I wouldn't do it for you unless there was an awfully good reason for doing so.Health Question & Answer
sure... gas and ether have both been used in the past. And neither is considered to be as safe as the current method of combination drugs.
But it can and has been done that way for many years.
You have to speak to your doctor.... they use what they do because they believe it to be safer.Health Question & Answer
But it can and has been done that way for many years.
You have to speak to your doctor.... they use what they do because they believe it to be safer.Health Question & Answer
yes
i tried it and did not workHealth Question & Answer
i tried it and did not workHealth Question & Answer