Sevoflurane

Sevoflurane is a volatile inhaled general anesthetic used to induce and maintain unconsciousness during surgery. Its low blood–gas solubility allows anesthesia depth to change relatively quickly.

Minimum alveolar concentration: The alveolar anesthetic concentration that prevents movement in response to surgical incision in half of patients. This measure expresses sevoflurane’s potency and helps compare anesthetic requirements.
Inhalational induction: The initiation of general anesthesia by having a patient breathe an anesthetic vapor. Sevoflurane’s relatively nonirritating odor makes it useful for inhalational induction, especially in children.
Desflurane: A volatile inhaled anesthetic with very low blood solubility and rapid changes in anesthetic depth. Desflurane also permits rapid adjustment but is more airway-irritating and requires specialized heating.
Emergence agitation: A transient state of confusion, restlessness, or inconsolable behavior during recovery from anesthesia. This recovery behavior is reported particularly in children after sevoflurane anesthesia.
Blood–gas partition coefficient: A measure of how an inhaled anesthetic distributes between blood and gas at equilibrium. Sevoflurane’s low coefficient helps explain its relatively rapid uptake and washout.
General anesthesia: A medically controlled state of unconsciousness, analgesia, amnesia, and immobility for procedures. Sevoflurane is one drug used to induce and maintain this broader anesthetic state.
Isoflurane: A volatile inhaled anesthetic used to maintain general anesthesia during surgery. Isoflurane is less soluble than some older agents but generally less rapidly adjustable than sevoflurane.
Malignant hyperthermia: A rare, life-threatening hypermetabolic reaction triggered by certain anesthetics in susceptible people. Sevoflurane can trigger this inherited susceptibility and must be avoided in affected patients.
Gamma-aminobutyric acid: The principal inhibitory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system. Sevoflurane enhances inhibitory signaling involving GABA receptors, contributing to unconsciousness.
Anesthesia machine: Equipment that delivers controlled mixtures of anesthetic gases and oxygen to a patient. The machine vaporizes liquid sevoflurane and delivers it at a selected concentration.

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