SUMMARY
Many different intravenous drugs are available for use in the
care of patients requiring general anesthesia. Selection of a particular drug must
be based on the individual patient's need for hypnosis, amnesia, and analgesia.
Drug selection must match the physiology or the pathophysiology (or both) of the
individual patient with the pharmacology of the particular drug. Thus, for example,
a patient in shock who requires induction of anesthesia should receive the drug that
will produce a rapid onset of effect without causing further hemodynamic compromise.
Knowledge of the clinical pharmacology of each of the intravenous anesthetic drugs
enables the clinician to induce and maintain sedation or general anesthesia safely
and effectively. Because there is no single perfect drug for any particular patient,
informed practitioners must wisely use the approprite drug or drugs in the practice
of good anesthesia care.
