Halothane

Halothane is a volatile halogenated anesthetic formerly used to induce and maintain general anesthesia. It can trigger malignant hyperthermia in susceptible people.

General anesthesia: A drug-induced state of unconsciousness, immobility, and reduced responsiveness used for surgery. Halothane produces this state by depressing central nervous system activity.
Inhalational induction: The initiation of general anesthesia by breathing an anesthetic vapor. Halothane's nonpungent odor made it useful for inhalational induction, especially in children.
Charles Suckling: A British chemist who synthesized halothane while working at Imperial Chemical Industries. His synthesis enabled halothane's development as an inhaled anesthetic.
Halothane hepatitis: A rare, sometimes severe liver injury associated with halothane anesthesia. This complication prompted scrutiny of repeated exposure and helped curtail halothane use.
Volatile anesthetic: An inhaled anesthetic that readily vaporizes and is delivered through the lungs. Halothane belongs to this class, whose blood and brain concentrations change with inhaled dose.
Anesthesia machine: A medical device that delivers controlled anesthetic gases and supports ventilation during surgery. A calibrated vaporizer delivered halothane at controlled concentrations.
Michael Johnstone: A British anesthetist who helped establish halothane's clinical use. His clinical work helped bring halothane into routine anesthesia.
Anesthetic-induced hepatitis: Liver inflammation caused by exposure to drugs used during anesthesia. Halothane hepatitis became a well-known example of this broader drug injury.
GABA receptor: A family of receptors that mediate much of the brain's fast inhibitory signaling. Enhanced inhibitory signaling is one proposed contributor to halothane's anesthetic effects.
Halothane vaporizer: A temperature-compensated anesthetic vaporizer designed to deliver halothane at a controlled concentration. Halothane required a dedicated vaporizer because its physical properties differ from other anesthetics.

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