desflurane

Desflurane

Desflurane (1,2,2,2-tetrafluoroethyl difluoromethyl ether), under the brand name Suprane, is a highly fluorinated methyl ethyl ether used for induction and maintenance of general anesthesia. It was developed in the 1980s and approved by the FDA in 1992 as a faster acting and clearing inhalant anesthetic compared to previously used inhalant anesthetics. Like halothane, enflurane, and isoflurane, it is a racemic mixture of (R) and (S) optical isomers (enantiomers). Additionally, it has the most rapid onset and offset of the volatile anesthetic drugs used for general anesthesia due to its low solubility in blood (since desflurane is both lipophobic and hydrophobic). Some drawbacks of desflurane are its low potency, its pungency, and its high cost (though at low flow fresh gas rates, the cost difference between desflurane and isoflurane appears to be insignificant). It may cause tachycardia and airway irritability when administered at concentrations greater than 10% by volume. Due to this airway irritability, desflurane is infrequently used to induce anesthesia via inhalation techniques. Though it vaporizes very readily, it is a liquid at room temperature. Desflurane has a high vapor pressure and a low boiling point, requiring a specific anesthetic vaporizer. Anaesthetic machines are fitted with a specialized anaesthetic vaporizer unit that heats liquid desflurane at a constant temperature and pressure. This enables the agent to be available at a constant vapor pressure and negating the effects of fluctuating ambient temperatures. Desflurane, along with enflurane and to a le...