[Possibilities and limitations of intravenous anesthesia]

The increasing importance of intravenous anaesthesia is based on two developments, namely the synthesis of substances capable of acting selectively and over the short term, and which are rapidly eliminated (good control), and a desire on the part of the anaesthetist to have an anaesthetic whose actions can be controlled in various ways. Efforts in this area are aimed at ensuring not only a minimum of stressing of organs by the anaesthetic, but also a minimisation of risks during the intra-operative phase, and a non-problematic maximally pleasant post-operative course. There are two problems that militate against the realization of these objectives. Although the substances presented here ideally permit the realization of some of these aims, at the same time they are associated with side effects that prevent their use from ever being completely non-problematical, and which should always prompt the exercise of particular care when employing these medications. In addition, the differentiable control made possible by the use of these drugs is (partly) offset by inadequate monitoring with respect to the qualities of the anaesthetic--a fact that modifies the potential advantages of intravenous anaesthesia.