Drugs producing anesthesia and neuromuscular blocking

• Anesthesia is a loss of feeling or sensation. • Balanced anesthesia is a combination of anesthetic agents used to decrease the depth of anesthesia and keep the patient safe. • Anesthetic agents are divided into inhaled and intravenous agents. • Isofl urane (Forane) is a halogenated inhaled anesthetic. Nursing management of patients recovering from isofl urane anesthesia includes carefully monitoring residual CNS depression, manifested as respiratory depression. • Nitrous oxide is an infl ammable gas used to increase the effectiveness of halogenated agents without severely depressing the depth of coma. • Propofol (Diprivan) is the prototype intravenous anesthetic. It has a quick onset and short duration of action. • Ketamine (Ketalar) causes dissociative anesthesia. • Local anesthetics such as lidocaine produce local or regional anesthesia by blocking nerve conduction. They are used to facilitate various types of procedures. • Nondepolarizing NMJ blockers, such as tubocurarine, prevent nerve impulses from exciting muscle; paralysis ensues because the muscle is unable to respond. • Depolarizing NMJ blockers, such as succinylcholine, cause muscle paralysis by overexcitement (depolarization) and subsequent exhaustion of the muscle. • The NMJ blockers are primarily used as adjuncts to general anesthesia, to facilitate endotracheal intubation, or to facilitate mechanical ventilation.