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Stages of General Anesthesia

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Various sedation levels offer significant advantages in facilitating procedural interventions for patients undergoing medical or invasive surgical procedures. These levels span from anxiolysis to general anesthesia, providing a spectrum of sedative effects to cater to specific patient needs. Anxiolysis reduces anxiety and is achieved through minimal sedation, enabling patients to remain awake and responsive while feeling more at ease during the procedure. This level can benefit minor...

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Sedatives and Hypnotics: Overview

Sedatives are drugs that alleviate anxiety, while hypnotics induce sleep. Both classes of medication suppress neuronal activity, leading to a calming effect for sedatives and facilitating sleep for hypnotics.
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Intravenous anesthetics are drugs administered parenterally to induce anesthesia or sedation. Propofol is a widely used agent formulated as a 1% emulsion in soybean oil, glycerol, and egg phosphatide. It induces rapid anesthesia primarily due to its rapid distribution from the bloodstream to target tissues and is metabolized in the liver. However, it can cause significant pain on injection and hypertriglyceridemia. Fospropofol, a water-based prodrug of propofol, lacks these adverse effects.

General Anesthesia: Overview

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Anesthesia is a medical procedure that uses drugs for CNS suppression to enable painless surgeries and procedures. The selection of anesthetics is influenced by their pharmacokinetic properties, side effects, and patient characteristics. Various types of anesthesia include general, local, regional, spinal, and inhalational.
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Melatonin congeners like ramelteon (Rozerem) and tasimelteon (Hetlioz) selectively bind to melatonin receptors (MT1 and MT2) and thus mimic the actions of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles. Tasimelteon is primarily used for non-24-hour sleep-wake disorder, common in blind patients. They are also used to treat conditions like insomnia...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Drug-Induced Sleep Endoscopy (DISE) with Target Controlled Infusion (TCI) and Bispectral Analysis in Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Drug-Induced Sleep Endoscopy (DISE) with Target Controlled Infusion (TCI) and Bispectral Analysis in Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Published on: December 6, 2016

Deciding about continuous deep sedation: physicians' perspectives: a focus group study.

J A C Rietjens¹, H M Buiting, H R W Pasman

¹Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. j.rietjens@erasmusmc.nl

Palliative Medicine

|March 24, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Physicians sometimes use continuous deep sedation beyond guidelines, balancing patient wishes and suffering against life expectancy. Decision-making involves empathy and considering alternatives, highlighting the need for further discussion on its appropriate use.

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Drug-Induced Sleep Endoscopy (DISE) with Target Controlled Infusion (TCI) and Bispectral Analysis in Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Drug-Induced Sleep Endoscopy (DISE) with Target Controlled Infusion (TCI) and Bispectral Analysis in Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Published on: December 6, 2016

Area of Science:

Palliative Care
Medical Ethics

Background:

Guidelines recommend continuous deep sedation (CDS) for refractory symptoms in patients with short life expectancy.
The actual use of CDS often extends beyond these strict indications.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore physicians' arguments for and against using CDS in various clinical scenarios.
To understand the factors influencing decisions regarding CDS.

Main Methods:

A focus group study involving physicians was conducted.
Qualitative data on arguments surrounding CDS use were gathered and analyzed.

Main Results:

Physicians consider overall clinical status and patient wishes over strict life expectancy.
Empathy towards patient suffering and potential future distress influences decisions.
CDS is sometimes viewed as an alternative to euthanasia or a less burdensome option.

Conclusions:

Physicians' decisions on CDS involve a balance between patient interests and their own feelings.
The rationale for using CDS is complex and requires further ethical debate.
Current practices indicate a nuanced approach to continuous deep sedation.