Alcohol Given Intravenously for General Anesthesia

Review articles : Alcohol and palliative care

“…Soon thereafter, sleepiness can be observed. 93 While lacking methodological rigour, early surgical and obstetric reports provide useful clinical observations. Mueller reviewed the 1932 Bellevue Hospital experience with some 2000 infusions of 5% ethanol given at 2 litres/day (80g/ day or 3.3g/hr).95 Two infusions lasted three weeks.…”

Clinical Studies of Induction Agents: Xxix: Ethanol

“…First, there was the patient's individual variation in response to this drug. Part of this could be explained on the basis of body weight variation (Schnelle, 1965) but this is not the main factor. This also will form the basis of another extensive study which will be reported later.…”

“…He used a 30 per cent (v/v) solution but this work did not receive wide acclaim, mainly because of side effects, and the method was soon abandoned. Lower concentrations have been used by others as a pre-and postoperative sedative and recently Schnelle (1965) from the Mayo Clinic describes the use of 5 per cent alcohol as a basal narcotic. Unfortunately he gave little data concerning his technique, its efficacy or the complications which followed.…”