Anesthetics intravenous ketamine, thiopental

Several drugs are used intravenously, alone or in combination with other drugs, to achieve an anesthetic state (as components of balanced anesthesia) or to sedate patients in intensive care units who must be mechanically ventilated. These drugs include the following (1) barbiturates (thiopental, methohexital) (2) benzodiazepines (midazolam, diazepam) (3) opioid analgesics (morphine, fentanyl, sufentanil, alfentanil, remifentanil) (4) propofol (5) ketamine and (6) miscellaneous drugs (droperidol, etomidate, dexmedetomidine). Figure 25-2 shows the structures of... 

Recovery is sufficiently rapid with many intravenous drugs to permit their extensive use for short ambulatory (outpatient) surgical procedures. In the case of propofol, recovery times are similar to those seen with the shortest-acting inhaled anesthetics. The anesthetic potency of intravenous anesthetics, including thiopental, ketamine, and propofol, is adequate to permit their use as the sole anesthetic in short surgical procedures when combined with nitrous oxide and opioid analgesics. 

Thiopental, midazolam, propofol, fentanyl, and ketamine are intravenous anesthetics that are discussed. 

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