Figure 5-18 Both solubility and duration of anesthesia affect the fall of the alveolar concentration (FA) from its value immediately preceding the cessation of anesthetic administration (FA₀ ). A longer anesthetic slows the fall, as does a greater solubility, and the effects are shown for the increasingly soluble desflurane, sevoflurane, and isoflurane (A to C). The horizontal lines designated (a), (b), and (c) indicate 80%, 90%, and 95% decreases, respectively, in the alveolar concentration from the concentration at the end of anesthesia. (Data from Yasuda N, Lockhart SH, Eger EI II, et al: Kinetics of desflurane, isoflurane, and halothane in humans. Anesthesiology 74:489–498, 1991, and from Yasuda N, Lockhart SH, Eger EI II, et al: Comparison of kinetics of sevoflurane and isoflurane in humans. Anesth Analg 72:316–324, 1991.)