16 – Inhalation Anesthesia Pharmacology Flashcards
What is inhalation anesthesia?
- Commonly volatile LIQUIDS or compressed gases
- Device on machine vaporizes drug into a form which can be INHALED
- Vaporized gas=oxygen
- Entry into body is via lungs and pulmonary circulation (uptake)
How do inhalants work?
- *mechanism of action=UNKNOWN
- Most enhance inhibitory activity at
o GABA receptors in brain
o Glycine receptors in SC - May inhibiting excitatory effects
o Cholinergic
o Glutamate
o NMDA - May depress Ca channels
- May inhibit some Na or K channels
Inhalation (IH) compared to injectable anesthesia
- Controlled
o Anesthetic depth can be RAPIDLY changed - Provides O2 and ability to ventilate lungs
- Do NOT accumulate and recovery is rapid
- High safety margin
- Can produce MORE CV depression (dose dependant)
IH do NOT accumulate and recovery is rapid
- Very little liver metabolism
o Eliminated via lungs - Can maintain anesthesia as long as required
Minimum alveolar concentration (MAC)
- Concentration of vapour in alveoli of lungs that is NEEDED to PREVENT movement (motor response) in 50% of subjects in response to surgical (pain) stimulation
- Partial pressure (PP)
MAC as a measure of potency (strength) of IH drug
- High MAC=LESS potent
Dalton’s law of partial pressure
- TOTAL pressure is sum of its partial pressures
MAC and partial pressure: what is MAC in the equation?
- Partial pressure of VOLATILE ANESTHETIC IN ALVEOLI
Partial pressures in lungs (3 ‘types’)
- ‘partial pressure of gas in solution’
- Vapor pressure
- Atmospheric pressure
- *if all other variable remain constant=reach equilibrium
- *ALVEOLAR CONCENTRATION=BRAIN CONCENTRATION
‘partial pressure of gas in solution’
- Reflects a ‘force’ of gas to escape out of solution
- Fighting against the atmospheric pressure being exerted on it
Vapor pressure
- Pressure exerted by the gas on wall of the container
Atmospheric pressure
- Pushing down trying to force gas into liquid form OR prevent more liquid from converting to gas
Vaporizer dials in in concentration percent: sea level vs. altitude
*actual % output varies with atmospheric pressure
**PP remains the same
Anesthetic gas movement
- Moves down partial pressure gradients
- Until equilibrium occurs=MAINTENANCE
- Recovery reverses the gradient, so drug leaves the body
Uptake of IH drugs is equivalent to
- Absorption
Elimination of IH drugs is equivalent to
- Excretion
Uptake of IH via the
- Lungs
- *drug is DISTRIBUTED to the BRAIN
What are the factors affecting uptake?
- Physical properties of drug
- Inspired anesthetic agent concentration (achieved by altering vaporizer setting)
- Loss of agent (via diffuse through anesthetic breathing system)
- Alveolar ventilation rate
- Cardiac output
What are the 4 physical properties of drug affecting uptake?
- BLOOD:GAS solubility
- OIL:GAS solubility
- MAC as function of POTENCY
- Loss of agent