-Desfluran%20Structural%20Formula%20V1.svg)
desflurane
Sign in to saveDesflurane (1,2,2,2-tetrafluoroethyl difluoromethyl ether), under the brand name Suprane, is a highly fluorinated methyl ethyl ether used for induction and maintenance of general anesthesia. Desflurane was developed in the 1980s and approved by the FDA in 1992 as a faster acting and clearing inhalant anesthetic compared to previously used inhalant anesthetics. Like halothane, enflurane, and isoflurane, it is a racemic mixture of (R) and (S) optical isomers (enantiomers). It has the most rapid onset and offset of the volatile anesthetic drugs used for general anesthesia due to its low solubilit
Article
10 sectionsContents
- Medical uses
- Adverse effects
- Contraindications
- Pharmacology
- Chemistry
- Stereochemistry
- Physical properties
- Global-warming potential
- References
- Further reading
Desflurane (1,2,2,2-tetrafluoroethyl difluoromethyl ether), under the brand name Suprane, is a highly fluorinated methyl ethyl ether used for induction and maintenance of general anesthesia. Desflurane was developed in the 1980s and approved by the FDA in 1992 as a faster acting and clearing inhalant anesthetic compared to previously used inhalant anesthetics. Like halothane, enflurane, and isoflurane, it is a racemic mixture of (R) and (S) optical isomers (enantiomers). It has the most rapid onset and offset of the volatile anesthetic drugs used for general anesthesia due to its low solubility in blood. It is lipophobic and hydrophobic, and therefore does not easily dissolve in blood.
Some drawbacks of desflurane are its low potency, its pungency, and its high cost (though at low flow fresh gas rates, the cost difference between desflurane and isoflurane appears to be insignificant). It may cause tachycardia and airway irritability when administered at concentrations greater than 10% by volume. Due to this airway irritability, desflurane is infrequently used to induce anesthesia via inhalation techniques.