Eerie aromas simmering through a claustrophobic black hood on my face, a distant voice beckoning me to sleep,I am half awakened by the clutching pain in my forearm where the anesthetist pumps in an additional bolus of propofol . Tense moments that we endure when having to go under the surgeon’s knife , become a tad easier with pleasant induction agents for general anesthesia.
Ever since madman gimmicks with the laughing gas became a part of history,new inhalational agents for anesthesia have become an important cog in the anesthesia wheel of things. Not having a clue about these “liquidy” gases till I got into gas science by choice, my fresher year was filled with inhaling ,inducing and imbibing the essence that the anesthetic gases profer.
The initial days in training were aimed to get the perfect vice like grip on the face mask to make sure, I did not spring a leak,induction gas wise! The C for compression and E for jaw elevation being etched into my budding anesthetist soul, dexterity with either hand was considered pristine. Choice of induction gases became the next puzzle to solve. Being erroneous by default rather than by choice, the chief’s frowns and moans as a response to my impeccably wrong answers made sure the OR was a happening place!
MACs of isoflurane,desflurane,sevoflurane,enflurane,halothane obediently memorized to perfection,my proud prune would get a wash down on being quizzed about the MAC of ether! I mean,gimme a break, here, will you.. the grand dad of general anesthesia, ether, is not the commonly used agent anymore, now, is it!?! Having heard the monotonous phrase “padke aao!” as an answer to my weary questions a million times over, my route to salvation always led me to a calm and quiet place with quiet people doing quiet things.. the college library. Throw in a pillow and the bench on the left aisle in the reference book section would become my haven for repaying my sleep debt! Somnolent misgivings brushed aside, constant searches to find answers were put to rest, courtesy short quips of less known facts that my seniors always seemed to know!
Laborious ,read la”BORE”ious details about the vapour pressures,blood gas coefficients and the kind made these innocent looking strange smelling liquids more complex than they ought to be. Don’t worry,people,no.. I aint giving you total gyan about fluranes here. Lets leave the snooze topics to discuss in snooze moments. Till I master enough of the details about each flooory liquid, let me have some feedback about your thoughts and anecdotes about em elixirs of sleep… FLURANES!
Theme song apt here would be the mystical guitary song by Teri Nunn in the movie “Top Gun”… take my breath away!!!
Cheers!
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