General and Local Anesthetics: Mechanisms, Effects, and Uses

General Anesthetics

Effects

Insensitivity to pain, loss of reflexes, amnesia, relaxation, loss of consciousness.

Drugs Used

  • Opioids: analgesia (Fentanyl)
  • Anxiolytics: anxiolysis, sedation, muscular relaxation (BDZ)
  • Antiemetics: Avoid vomiting, aspiration (Metoclopramide)

General Anesthetics

Loss of consciousness, amnesia.

Administration

  • Inhalation:
    • Liquid Volatile: halothane, enflurane, isoflurane, desflurane, sevoflurane
    • Gases: nitrous oxide, xenon
  • Intravenous: propofol, thiopental, ketamine, etomidate, BDZ

Adverse Reactions (Inhalation)

Hypotension, respiratory depression, hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, seizures.

Propofol

Mechanism of Action

Unknown.

Pharmacokinetics

Home-rapid elimination.

Central Effects

More powerful than thiopental.

Cardiovascular Effects

Bradycardia, hypotension.

Respiratory Effects

Sleep.

Adverse Reactions

Injection pain, cardiovascular depression in the elderly.

Thiopental & Etomidate

Mechanism of Action

GABA-mimetic.

Pharmacokinetics

Top 40 Recovery 30.

Central Effects

Depression, sedation, hypnosis.

Cardiovascular Effects

Hypotension.

Respiratory Effects

Sleep.

Adverse Reactions

Bronchospasm, respiratory depression, anaphylaxis, vomiting. No analgesia.

Opioids

Receptors

μ (μ1, μ2, μ3) Principal receptor being joined by the most powerful analgesics (opens potassium channels). Responsible for the analgesic activity and many secondary reactions. δ (δ1, δ2) in cerebral cortex (open potassium channels). (κ1, κ2, κ3) Closed Ca++ channels. Responsible for spinal analgesia.

Types

  • Pure Agonists:
    • Mild/Moderate: Codeine, Dextropropoxyphene, Tramadol
    • Moderate/Severe: Morphine, Fentanyl, Methadone
  • Partial Agonists Mixed: Pentazocine, Buprenorphine, Nalorphine, Nalbuphine
  • Pure Antagonists: Naloxone, Naltrexone

Histamine Receptors

  • H1: smooth muscle, endothelium, and brain
  • H2: gastric mucosa, cardiac muscle, mast cells, and brain
  • H3: Presynaptic: brain, myenteric plexus, and other neurons

Antihistamines (H1)

Types

  • Central and Peripheral Actions: Diphenhydramine, promethazine, chlorpheniramine, cyproheptadine, orphenadrine, clemizol
  • Without Central Actions: astemizole, terfenadine, ebastine, loratadine, Cetirizina

Uses

Rhinitis, urticaria, atopic dermatitis, anaphylactic reactions, asthma.

Side Effects

Sleepiness, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, dry mouth, tachycardia, hypotension, urinary retention, described fatal or serious poisoning.

H2-Blockers (Cimetidine)

Cimetidine, Ranitidine, Famotidine, Nizatidine.

Uses

Gastro-duodenal ulcer, erosive gastritis, reflux esophagitis, gastric hemorrhage, preanesthesia.

Side Effects

Hyperprolactinemia, dizziness, temporal and spatial disorientation, confusion, hallucinations, impotence, decreased libido, gynecomastia.

Local Anesthetics

Differentiate: latent period, duration of action, toxicity, potency, selectivity of blockade.

Types

  • Ester Bond: cocaine, procaine, chloroprocaine, benzocaine, tetracaine
  • Amide Bond: lidocaine, bupivacaine, prilocaine, mepivacaine, etidocaine, ropivacaine, levobupivacaine

Duration and Potency

  • Short and Low Power Action: Procaine and Chloroprocaine
  • Medium Action and Power: Lidocaine, mepivacaine, and prilocaine
  • Long Action and High Power: Tetracaine, Bupivacaine, etidocaine, ropivacaine, and levobupivacaine

Mechanism of Action

Low permeability to sodium ions in the cell membrane leading to depolarization. Depends on these factors:

  • Location of administration
  • Dose and concentration used
  • Anesthetic characteristics
  • Adding a vasoconstrictor
  • Contact time

Chronology of Blocking

Increased cutaneous temperature, vasodilation, loss of sense of temperature and relief of pain, loss of proprioception, loss of sensation of touch and pressure, loss of motor skills.

Pharmacological Actions

Speakers at the function of all organs in which there are nerve impulse transmission (CNS, ganglia, neuromuscular junction).

Central Nervous System

All cross the blood-brain barrier.

  • Lidocaine:
    • Low Dose: sedative and anticonvulsant
    • Medium Dose: Action on the CNS stimulant, anxiety, and tremor which can lead to clonic seizures
    • High Dose: Cortical and subcortical depression that can lead to death from respiratory failure

Cardiovascular System

On high dose myocardium: depressed contractility, decrease the volume. Minute and antiarrhythmic action. On vessel, hypotension, bradycardia, and cardiovascular collapse.

Local Reactions

Produced by anesthetic, Cocaine and drills vasoconstriction mucosa. Or ignorance of the anatomy: inadvertent IV injection.

Systemic Reactions

Anesthetic blood reaches and reaches high dose:

  • Cardiovascular System: Hypotension, bradycardia, and arrhythmias
  • Central Nervous System: Euphoria, sensation of well-being, excitation phase, seizures followed by respiratory depression, coma, and death

Intoxication Treatment

Respiratory assistance, diazepam for seizures.

Types of Local Anesthesia

  • Topical: on broken skin or mucous membranes
  • Infiltration: small quantities in the area where you wish to speak. Subcutaneously
  • Regional: injected near a nerve trunk blocking the sensitivity in the area supplied by it
  • Epidural: injected into the epidural space, passes slowly and blocks the nerve roots. Lidocaine and bupivacaine are injected into the lumbar region
  • Spinal: injected into the subarachnoid space

Antiserotonergics

  • Cyproheptadine
    • Indications: Carcinoid syndrome, rapid emptying syndrome, postgastrectomy cold urticaria, skin allergies, migraine prophylaxis
    • Side Effects: sedation, gastrointestinal discomfort, weight gain
  • Ketanserin
    • Indications: hypertension, vasospasm
    • Side Effects: Asthenia, weight gain, hypotension
  • Ondansetron
    • Indications: Nausea and vomiting in postoperative and chemotherapy
    • Side Effects: Headaches, constipation, flushing

Serotonin Agonists. Prostaglandins.