GENERAL ANAESTHETICS

the term anaesthesia means loss of sensation. general anaesthetics are the agents or drugs which bring about loss of sensation along with a reversible loss of consciousness. These are one category of CNS depressants. They are mainly used during major surgery. Under anaesthesia, the patient has no agony during surgery, and the surgeon works patiently carefully and effectively. The introduction of anaesthetics has revolutionized the field of surgery. The following are the ideal characteristics  of general anaesthetics:

1. it should be pleasant to inhale without any irritation.
2. the induction should be fast and pleasant.
3. the recovery should be smooth and rapid.
4. it should be non-toxic.
5. it should produce good analgesia and adequate muscular relaxation.
6. it should be stable at room temperature.
7. it should not cause circulatory or respiratory depression.
8. it should be readily eliminated from the body.
9. it should be compatible with other drugs used in anaesthesia.
10.it should cheap(low price).
        It is very difficult to get an ideal general anaesthetic.
In general, the action of a volatile general anaesthetic may be divided into four stages
1. stage 1 or pre anaesthesia
2. stage 2 or delirium
3. stage 3 or surgical anaesthesia
4. stage 4 or medullary depression

CLASSIFICATION OF GENERAL ANAESTHESIA:

(A)INHALATION:

these are the agents given by the inhalation process. There are two types of inhalation anaesthetics:
volatile liquid and gases...

1. VOLATILE LIQUIDS:

the compounds under this category are organic and volatile. Some of the examples are;

chloroform
diethyl ether
ethyl chloride
trichloroethylene
halothane
cyclopropane
nitrous oxide

2. NON-VOLATILE OR INTRAVENOUS:

the sodium salt of barbiturates(ultra-short acting) may be administered intravenously in an aqueous solution for the induction of anaesthesia. Different examples of ultra-short-acting barbiturates are thiopental sodium and methohexital sodium. The complete discussion of these barbiturates is given under the sedatives and hypnotics chapter other examples of intravenous anaesthetics are propanidid and alphadolone.

Puvvukonvict

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