Desflurane is a highly flourinated ether used for maintenance of general anaesthesia. Together with sevoflurane it is gradually replacing isoflurane for human use except in the thrid world where its high cost precludes its use. It has the most rapid onset and offset of the volatile anaesthetic drugs used for general anaesthesia due to its low solubility in blood. Jump to: navigation, search Image File history File links Download high resolution version (864x383, 8 KB) Structural formula of desflurane. ... In modern medical practice, general anaesthesia is a complex procedure involving: preanaesthetic assessment administration of general anaesthetic drugs cardiorespiratory monitoring analgesia airway management fluid management // Preanaesthetic Evaluation Before surgery, the anaesthesiologist or nurse anaesthetist will do a preanaesthetic evaluation to determine which drugs (including dosages), additional invasive monitors and/or... Sevoflurane (2, 2, 2-trifluoro-1-(trifluoromethyl) ethyl ether), also called fluoromethyl, is a halogenated ether used for induction and maintenance of general anesthesia. ... Isoflurane (1-chloro-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl difluoromethyl ether) is a halogenated ether used for inhalation anesthesia. ... The volatile anaesthetics are a class of general anaesthetic drugs. ... In modern medical practice, general anaesthesia is a complex procedure involving: preanaesthetic assessment administration of general anaesthetic drugs cardiorespiratory monitoring analgesia airway management fluid management // Preanaesthetic Evaluation Before surgery, the anaesthesiologist or nurse anaesthetist will do a preanaesthetic evaluation to determine which drugs (including dosages), additional invasive monitors and/or...

Its major drawbacks are its low potency and its pungency.

Though it vaporises very readily, it is a liquid at room temperature. Anaesthetic machines include an unusual anaesthetic vaporiser that heats it to generate a gas. Anaesthetists use anaesthetic machines to support the administration of anaesthesia. ... An anaesthetic vaporiser is a device generally attached to an anaesthetic machine which delivers a given concentration of a volatile anaesthetic agent. ...

Physical properties

Jump to: navigation, search The boiling point of a substance is the temperature at which it can change state from a liquid to a gas throughout the bulk of the liquid. ... When expressed as a measurement, an atmosphere or standard atmosphere is a unit of pressure roughly equal to the average atmospheric pressure at sea level on the Earth. ... Jump to: navigation, search Density (symbol: ρ - Greek: rho) is a measure of mass per unit of volume. ... The molecular mass of a substance (less accurately called molecular weight and abbreviated as MW) is the mass of one molecule of that substance, relative to the unified atomic mass unit u (equal to 1/12 the mass of one atom of carbon-12). ... The vapor pressure is the pressure (if the vapor is mixed with other gases, the partial pressure) of a vapor. ...

Book Reference

Eger, Eisenkraft, Weiskopf. The Pharmacology of Inhaled Anesthetics. 2003.