[Principles of clinical pharmacokinetics in anaesthesiology (author's transl)]

The principles of clinical pharmacokinetics of intravenous and inhalation anaesthesia and the correlation with pharmacodynamics are reviewed with special reference to the commonly used anaesthetic agents. Pharmacokinetics is regarded mainly as an aid towards optimization of dosage. Dosage rules based on pharmacokinetic principles, for repeated administration and infusion are outlined for the induction, maintenance and termination of anaesthesia. Interindividual variations and biological disposition are not taken into account. The kinetic processes common to intravenous and inhalation anaesthesia are presented in the form of a multiexponential function for constant concentrations.