Biomaterial Database

[Desflurane: a new inhalation anesthetic]. 1996

J Roigé, and J Canet

Servicio de Anestesiología, Hospital de la Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona.

Desflurane is a new fluoride-only halogenated inhalational anesthetic. It differs from other halogenated anesthetics, in having a lower solubility in all tissues and greater molecular stability in all media. These traits mean, on the one band, that desflurane affords rapid achievement of depth of anesthesia, recovery and management during surgery, and on the other, that its potential toxicity is low and that it is safe for use in low flow circuits. The pharmacodynamic effects of desflurane are similar to those of isoflurane in the blood stream, airways and brain. Sympathetic hyperactivity with increased heart rate and arterial pressure may be triggered when concentration is increased quickly, but this effect is partially abolished when fentanyl is administered. Induction of anesthesia with desflurane causes irritation of the airways, particularly in children, and its use in pediatric surgery is therefore inadvisable. Desflurane potentiates the action of neuromuscular relaxants, much like isoflurane. Desflurane represents a step forward in the search for the ideal anesthetic.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007530	Isoflurane	A stable, non-explosive inhalation anesthetic, relatively free from significant side effects.
D009469	Neuromuscular Junction	The synapse between a neuron and a muscle.	Myoneural Junction,Nerve-Muscle Preparation,Junction, Myoneural,Junction, Neuromuscular,Junctions, Myoneural,Junctions, Neuromuscular,Myoneural Junctions,Nerve Muscle Preparation,Nerve-Muscle Preparations,Neuromuscular Junctions,Preparation, Nerve-Muscle,Preparations, Nerve-Muscle
D012119	Respiration	The act of breathing with the LUNGS, consisting of INHALATION, or the taking into the lungs of the ambient air, and of EXHALATION, or the expelling of the modified air which contains more CARBON DIOXIDE than the air taken in (Blakiston's Gould Medical Dictionary, 4th ed.). This does not include tissue respiration (	Breathing
D002319	Cardiovascular System	The HEART and the BLOOD VESSELS by which BLOOD is pumped and circulated through the body.	Circulatory System,Cardiovascular Systems,Circulatory Systems
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000077335	Desflurane	A fluorinated ether that is used as a volatile anesthetic for maintenance of general anesthesia.	1,2,2,2-Tetrafluoroethyl difluoromethyl ether,I 653,I-653,I653,Suprane
D000762	Anesthesia Recovery Period	The period of emergence from general anesthesia, where different elements of consciousness return at different rates.	Recovery Period, Anesthesia,Anesthesia Recovery Periods,Period, Anesthesia Recovery,Periods, Anesthesia Recovery,Recovery Periods, Anesthesia
D001711	Biotransformation	The chemical alteration of an exogenous substance by or in a biological system. The alteration may inactivate the compound or it may result in the production of an active metabolite of an inactive parent compound. The alterations may be divided into METABOLIC DETOXICATION, PHASE I and METABOLIC DETOXICATION, PHASE II.
D018685	Anesthetics, Inhalation	Gases or volatile liquids that vary in the rate at which they induce anesthesia; potency; the degree of circulation, respiratory, or neuromuscular depression they produce; and analgesic effects. Inhalation anesthetics have advantages over intravenous agents in that the depth of anesthesia can be changed rapidly by altering the inhaled concentration. Because of their rapid elimination, any postoperative respiratory depression is of relatively short duration. (From AMA Drug Evaluations Annual, 1994, p173)	Inhalation Anesthetic,Inhalation Anesthetics,Anesthetic Gases,Anesthetic, Inhalation,Gases, Anesthetic