Pharmacology - General Anesthetics (Practice)

General Anesthetics:

Questions always come up regarding factors that influence the rate of induction. Remember that onset of anesthesia is inversely proportional to solubility of the anesthetic in the blood. The more soluble the agent is in blood, the more must be given to reach critical tension in the brain.
A second set of questions has to do with adverse side effects of various general anesthetics. Halothane is associated with hepatotoxicity.
Some questions are based on the progressive depression of CNS function leading to anesthesia that characterized older anesthetic agents. Remember the 4 stages of anesthesia:
Stage I: analgesia
Stage II: delirium
Stage III: surgical anesthesia
Stage IV: medullary paralysis