Anaesthetic drugs

From ArticleWorld

Anaesthetic drugs comprise a wide selection of drugs that are used by anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists to provide pain relief, relaxation or unconsciousness to patients undergoing surgery. The type and amount of drug used depends on the kind of anesthesia required and the duration of desired effect.

Classifications

Anaesthetic drugs can be used for local anesthesia only and are generally injected into the patient’s tissues in the area of surgery. Generally only minor surgeries are performed with these medications. Xylocaine (or lidocaine) is the most common local anesthetic used. Lidocaine and prilocaine are used as a mixture in a cream that is applied to wounds and IV sites in children to reduce pain without using an injection.

Spinal anesthetics require the use of an needle that injects opioid medication or anesthetic around the lower spinal cord to temporarily block feeling below the area injected.

General anaesthetics are considerably more diverse and perform multiple functions. Intravenous anesthetics that induce unconsciousness include etomidate, ketamine, barbiturates and benzodiazepines. Often, once the patient is sufficiently “under” anesthesia, vaporized or gaseous anesthetic medications prolong the unconscious state and are given along with oxygen and a ventilator to assist the patient’s breathing. These medications include desflurane and sevoflurane, although numerous others exist but are less commonly used.

Anesthesiologists also use muscle paralyzing medication during surgery that keep the patient from having muscle twitching sometimes associated with some general anesthetics. Succinylcholine is probably the most commonly used muscle relaxant, although some doctors prefer vecuronium or other curare-like medications.

Depending on the procedure, opioid medications are given to block the pain the patient perceives. For endoscopic procedures or relocating a dislocated joint, a combination of Fentanyl (or morphine) and Versed (midazolam) is used. This combination provides extreme relaxation and pain relief that takes effect within minutes and wears off within 30-60 minutes.

Sometimes, medications are needed to reverse an anesthetic effect more quickly than would occur normally. Naloxone is used to reverse the effects of opioid medication. A newer medication, Romazicon (flumazenil) blocks the effect of benzodiazepine medication like Versed or Valium which, if given in an excessive dose, can suppress the patient’s respiration if not reversed.

Prochlorperazine (Compazine) is used in anaesthesia and in other areas of the hospital. As an effect agent for the blocking of nausea, it can help resolve this problem during spinal anaesthesia or after a patient awakens from general anaesthesia.