title: Anaesthetic medicines: back to basics.
abstract: Anaesthesia has developed since the first description of curare. Today there are a myriad of anaesthetic and analgesic medicines available. This article explores the function of medicines in a patient's perioperative journey and describes how pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics play such a large role. The different routes of administration are described and the main categories of anaesthetic medicines outlined. The characteristics and precautions associated with the different classes of medicines are highlighted.
authors.affiliation: Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Pain Management, Harefield Hospital, Middlesex UB9 6JH.
authors.forename: Felicia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.forename: Nisha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bhudia
mesh_terms: D000777:Anesthetics / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004333:Drug Administration Routes; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000777:Anesthetics