General and Local Anesthetics Flashcards
What drugs are considered inhaled general anesthetics
Desflurane Enflurane Halothane Isoflurane Nitrous oxide Sevoflurane
What drugs are considered IV general anesthetics?
Dexmedetomidine Diazepam Etomidate Fentanyl Fospropofol Ketamine Lorazepam Methohexital Midazolam Propofol Thiopental
What are the 5 component changes that make up what is known as the “anesthetic state”
Unconsciousness
Amnesia
Analgesia
Attenuation of autonomic reflexes to noxious stimulation
Immobility in response to noxious stimulation (skeletal muscle relaxation)
Define monitored anesthesia care and what drugs are typically used
A sedation-based anesthetic technique used for diagnostic and/or minor therapeutic surgical procedures
Typically involves use of midazolam for premedication (anxiolysis, amnesia, mild sedation) followed by titrated propofol infusion (moderate to deep sedation)
Define conscious sedation and what drugs are typically used
Used primarily by nonanesthesiologists (e.g., dentists) where the patient retains the ability to maintain a patent airway and is responsive to verbal commands
Benzodiazepines and opioid analgesics (e.g., fentanyl) are useful because they are reversible by receptor antagonists
Benzodiazepines and opioid analgesics (e.g., fentanyl) are useful for conscious sedation because they are reversible by receptor antagonists
______ is used to reverse the effects of benzodiazepines
______ is used to reverse the effects of opioid analgesics like fentanyl
Flumazenil
Naloxone
Define deep sedation and what drugs are typically used
Similar to light state of general anesthesia involving decreased consciousness from which the patient is not easily aroused; accompanied by a loss of protective reflexes, an inability to maintain a patent airway, and lack of verbal responsiveness to surgical stimuli
Propofol and midazolam are often used, sometimes in combination with potent opioid analgesics or ketamine, depending on level of pain associated with the surgery or procedure
What is the common mechanism of general anesthetic action?
Most general anesthetics cause CNS depression by facilitating Cl- channel activation (GABA and glycine receptors)
Some reduce activity of excitatory ion channels (nAChRs and mAChRs), AMPA receptors, kainite receptors, and NMDA receptors
Both volatile and gaseous anesthetics are administered by inhalation. What is the difference between volatile and gaseous anesthetics?
Volatile (halothane, enflurane, isoflurane, desflurane, sevoflurane) have LOW vapor pressure and thus HIGH boiling points so they are LIQUID at room temp
Gaseous (Nitric oxide) have HIGH vapor pressure and LOW boiling points and are in GAS form at room temp
Inhaled anesthetics are absorbed through gas exchange in the alveoli into the blood where the anesthetic is distributed throughout the body. The rate at which this absorption occurs is dependent upon what 3 factors?
- Concentration of anesthetic in inspired air
- Ventilation rate
- Drug solubility in air, blood, and CNS
What is the blood:gas partition coefficient
Defines the relative affinity of an anesthetic for the blood compared with that of inspired gas (i.e., blood solubility)
What is the relationship of blood:gas partition coefficient and rate of anesthesia onset?
Inverse relationship — the lower the blood:gas partition coefficient, the more rapid the rate of anesthesia onset
[agents with low blood solubility reach high arterial pressure rapidly, which in turn results in rapid equilibration with the brain and fast onset of action]
T/F: the brain:blood partition coefficient values for inhaled anesthetics are relatively similar and indicate that all agents are more soluble in the brain than in the blood
True
What 3 inhaled anesthetics are known for their medium rate of onset and recovery?
Isoflurane
Enflurane
Halothane
What 2 inhaled anesthetics are known for their rapid onset and recovery?
Nitrous oxide (incomplete anesthetic)
Sevoflurane
What inhaled anesthetic has a low volatility, is a poor induction agent, and a rapid recovery?
Desflurane
What areas of the body are highly perfused (over 75% of resting cardiac output) and as a result have higher immediate concentrations of anesthetic?
Brain, heart, liver, kidneys, splanchnic bed
[muscle and skin accumulate anesthetic much more slowly]
Clearance of inhaled anesthetics via the _____ is the major route of elimination from the body, although some agents are metabolized by the ____ to varying degrees
Lungs; liver
What is the MAC?
Describes the potency of an anesthetic
The concentration of inhalation anesthetic that prevents movement in response to surgical stimulation in 50% of subjects
[A dose of 1 MAC of any anesthetic prevents movement in response to surgical incision in 50% of patients]
What would a MAC value of greater than 100% indicate?
If 100% of inspired air is the anesthetic, the MAC value would still be less than 1 and other agents must be supplemented to achieve full surgical anesthesia (example: nitrous oxide)
Effects of inhaled anesthetics on cardiovascular system
Decrease mean arterial pressure in direct proportion to their alveolar concentration
All inhaled anesthetics can increase right atrial pressure in dose-related manner
Effects on heart rate are mixed — Halothane can cause bradycardia; desflurane and isoflurane can increase HR
Effects of inhaled anesthetic on respiratory system
Volatile anesthetics are respiratory depressants (the body has a reduced response to increased levels of CO2)
_____ is an inhaled anesthetic that may cause hepatitis with or without previous exposure (symptoms include anorexia, nausea, myalgias, arthralgias, rash, eosinophilia, hepatomegaly, and jaundice); develops 2 days to 3 weeks after exposure
Halothane
_____ and ____ are inhaled anesthetics that can cause renal toxicity due to fluorinated metabolites
Enflurane; sevoflurane
In combination with succinylcholine, inhaled volatile anesthetics may cause what life-threatening condition?
Malignant hyperthermia, consisting of rapid onset tachycardia and HTN, severe muscle rigidity, rhabdomyolysis, hyperthermia, hyperkalemia, and acid-base imbalance acidosis
What is the antidote given to reverse malignant hyperthermia?
Dantrolene (blocks ryanodine receptors)
IV anesthetic characterized by:
Rapid onset and moderately fast recovery
Provides CV stability; causes decreased steroidogenesis and involuntary muscle movements
Etomidate
IV anesthetic characterized by:
Moderately rapid onset and recovery
CV stimulation, increased cerebral blood flow, and emergence reactions that impair recovery
Ketamine
IV anesthetic characterized by:
Rapid onset and recovery
Preferred over thiopental for short ambulatory procedures
Methohexital
IV anesthetic characterized by:
Slow onset and recovery
Used in balanced anesthesia and conscious sedation; provides CV stability and marked amnesia
Midazolam
IV anesthetic characterized by:
Rapid onset and recovery
Used in induction and for maintenance; can cause hypotension; has useful antiemetic action
Propofol
IV anesthetic characterized by:
Rapid onset and recovery (bolus dose) - slow recovery following infusion
Standard induction agent; causes CV depression; avoid in porphyrias
Thiopental
IV anesthetic characterized by:
Slow onset and recovery
Opioid used in balanced anesthesia and conscious sedation; produces marked analgesia
Fentanyl
MOA of propofol
Most likely targets GABA-A receptors as an agonist and potentiates the Cl- current
Metabolism of propofol
Rapidly metabolized in the liver (phase I and II reactions — glucuronide and sulfate conjugates) with extensive extrahepatic metabolism (lung tissue may account for elimination of up to 30% of bolus dose)
What is the context-sensitive half-life phenomenon that affects IV anesthetics?
After prolonged infusions, drug half-lives and durations of action are dependent on factors such as the rate of redistribution of the drug, the amount of drug accumulated in fat, and the drug’s metabolic rate