Controversial issues in adult and paediatric ambulatory anaesthesia: is there a role for alpha-2 agonists in conscious sedation in adults and paediatric ambulatory surgical practice?
Ambulatory surgery has come to the fore in recent years, guided by the twin forces of healthcare economics and pharmacological innovations. In this review the authors will focus on alpha2-adrenergic agonists, a new class of sedative/analgesic agents and their possible application for conscious sedation in the ambulatory care setting. To put the alpha2-agonists into clinical context, we will discuss the currently available agents for general anaesthesia as well as for conscious sedation and their respective drawbacks. Thereafter we will compare and contrast the use of alpha2-agonists with clinically available agents, and speculate as to the direction this field is likely to take in the future.
Wilhelm
S
S
Magill Department of Anaesthetics, Chelsea and Westminster Campus, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, University of London, London, UK.
Maze
M
M