title: The role of new anesthetic agents.
abstract: The three anesthetic drugs introduced most recently to the market are sevoflurane, desflurane, and ropivacaine. Sevoflurane and desflurane are both inhalational anesthetic agents and ropivacaine is a local anesthetic agent. Sevoflurane provides a rapid onset and offset of action; it is well tolerated with little airway irritation. It is hemodynamically stable, with low potential for toxicity. Concerns about its interaction with soda lime during low-flow anesthesia with the production of Compound A have not proved to be a clinical problem. While desflurane also provides rapid onset and recovery from anesthesia, it is not as hemodynamically stable as sevoflurane, and also causes airway irritation. Ropivacaine is a unique local anesthetic in that it is supplied as the pure S-enantiomer. It is at least as effective as bupivacaine, with lower toxicity and less motor block for the same degree of sensory block.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester, UK. Niall.okeeffe@man.ac.uk
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: O'Keeffe
authors.forename: T E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Healy
mesh_terms: D000577:Amides / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000777:Anesthetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D000077335:Desflurane; D004347:Drug Interactions; D006801:Humans; D007530:Isoflurane / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology; D008738:Methyl Ethers / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000077212:Ropivacaine; D000077149:Sevoflurane
chemical_list: D000577:Amides; D000777:Anesthetics; D008738:Methyl Ethers; D000077149:Sevoflurane; D000077212:Ropivacaine; D000077335:Desflurane; D007530:Isoflurane