How Do Inhalational Anesthetics Work?

Inhalational anesthetics are used for the induction and maintenance of general anesthesia during surgery. Volatile anesthetics, a type of inhalational anesthetics, are liquid anesthetics at room temperature and require vaporizers for inhalation.

The inhaled anesthesia depresses the excitatory neurohormones in the central nervous system and stimulates inhibitory neurohormones to induce and maintain the anesthetic effects.

Inhalational anesthetics are used for:

• Sedation
• Refractory bronchospasm
• Status epilepticus control

Some of the side effects of inhalational anesthetics include:

• Cough
• Apnea
• Interrupted breathing
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Alteration in heart rate
• Heart failure
• Headache
• Excess salivation
• Confusion
• Lung failure
• Liver failure
• Cardiac arrest
• Desaturation of blood

The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible side effects, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. Check with your doctor or pharmacist to make sure these drugs do not cause any harm when you take them along with other medicines. Never stop taking your medication and never change your dose or frequency without consulting your doctor.

Generic and brand names of inhalational anesthetics include:

• Compound 347
• Desflurane
• Enflurane
• Ethrane
• Forane
• Isoflurane
• Sevoflurane
• Suprane
• Ultane