Chemical Aspects of General Anesthesia: Part II. Current Practices

Abstract

Contemporary anesthetists have access to a broad spectrum of medicinals for use during presurgery, intraoperational events, and postoperative recovery. With the basic elements of balanced general anesthesia in place by the 1950s, the focus turned to developing safer and more effective agents and to improving procedures. During the last half-century a new generation of intravenous induction anesthetics, inhalational anesthetics, and muscle relaxants has emerged. Details of their syntheses are included along with structure–activity correlations.