Vasoactive Agents
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Vasoactive agents were recognized in 1895 by H.D. Rollerston, when he described a suprarenal extract as a “powerful vascular tonic.”1 Today, these drugs have an important…
Neuromuscular Blocking Agents
HISTORY OF DEVELOPMENT Print Section Listen Neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) were first “discovered” by the native Indian populations of South America and were used for hunting game. They called their…
Reversal of Neuromuscular Blockade
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen In 1516, Peter Martyr D’Anghera (1457–1526) described in his book, De Orbo Novo (The New World) the effects of poisoned arrows (proven later to contain crude…
Perioperative Pain Adjuncts
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Perioperative pain control remains one of the primary concerns for surgical patients, surgeons, and anesthesiologists. Traditionally, opiates have been the medications used for the treatment of…
Potent Inhaled Agents
HISTORY OF DEVELOPMENT Print Section Listen The discovery of inhalation anesthetics has a colorful history and began as early as the late 1700s with nitrous oxide. One initial use was…
The Clinical Pharmacology of Opioids
HISTORY OF DEVELOPMENT Print Section Listen The first reports of opioid use date to more than 6000 years ago, when a gummy substance known as opium was extracted from poppy…
Local Anesthetics
HISTORY Print Section Listen Local anesthetics have been used for centuries and represent some of the oldest drugs in the armamentarium of anesthesiologists. The story of the coca leaf and…
Intravenous Sedative–Hypnotics
HISTORY OF DEVELOPMENT Print Section Listen Sedative–hypnotics are a relatively new class of anesthetics, beginning with the introduction of sodium thiopental in the early 1930s. Since then, several sedative–hypnotics have…
Anesthetic Drug Interactions with Herbal Remedies
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen As the use of herbal supplements becomes more widespread, it is vitally important that the anesthetist has a detailed understanding of potential interactions with anesthetic medications…
Opioid and Benzodiazipine Reversal Agents
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Opioid and benzodiazepine antagonists are an important component of an anesthesiologists’ armamentarium. Anesthesiologists rely on these agents for rapid reversal of adverse effects such as respiratory…
