anestetikume

Anestetikume are a class of pharmacological agents used to induce anesthesia or analgesia to allow procedures that would otherwise cause pain or distress. They are commonly categorized into three main groups: general anesthetics, local anesthetics, and regional techniques. General anesthetics render the patient unconscious and insensible to stimuli, often combined with analgesics and muscle relaxants. Local anesthetics reversibly block nerve conduction in a targeted area, while regional anesthesia uses nerve blocks or neuraxial techniques to numb larger regions of the body.

General anesthetics can be administered intravenously (for example propofol, etomidate, thiopental) or inhaled as volatile agents (such as sevoflurane, isoflurane, desflurane). They act through different mechanisms, most notably potentiation of GABA-A receptor activity and, for certain agents like ketamine, NMDA receptor antagonism. They are typically accompanied by analgesics and antiemetics to improve comfort and safety.

Local anesthetics include amide-type (lidocaine, bupivacaine, mepivacaine) and ester-type (procaine, benzocaine) drugs. They block voltage-gated sodium channels in nerve membranes, preventing action potential propagation. They are used for infiltration anesthesia, peripheral nerve blocks, and central neuraxial blocks (spinal or epidural). Toxicity can involve the central nervous system and cardiovascular system; ester-type agents may cause allergic reactions in rare cases, and some agents carry risks of methemoglobinemia or cardiotoxicity at high doses.

Safety and monitoring are central to anesthesia practice, including airway management, hemodynamic monitoring, dose adjustment for age and comorbidities, and readiness to treat adverse events. The development of anesthetics has transformed modern surgery, beginning in the mid-19th century with ether and chloroform and evolving into multimodal regimens.