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Mechanisms of Anesthetic Action

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Basic Clinical Anesthesia

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Abstract

In 1846 Oliver Wendell Holmes coined the term anesthesia from the Greek word “anaesthesia” meaning “without sensation,” after William T.G. Morton, a Boston dentist, performed the first public demonstration of an inhalational anesthetic (ether). The most accepted current definition of general anesthesia is “a drug-induced, reversible condition composed of the behavioral states of unconsciousness, amnesia, analgesia, and immobility along with physiological stability.” A major challenge to defining ideal state of general anesthesia is the fact that the site and mechanism of action of general anesthetics are not entirely known.

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Further Reading

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, 4401 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15224, USA

    Daniela Damian M.D.

  2. Department of Anesthesiology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, 200 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA

    Andrew Herlich D.M.D., M.D., F.A.A.P.

Authors
  1. Daniela Damian M.D.
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  2. Andrew Herlich D.M.D., M.D., F.A.A.P.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrew Herlich D.M.D., M.D., F.A.A.P. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Emerson Hospital (former faculty Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School), Concord, Massachusetts, USA

    Paul K. Sikka

  2. Associate Professor, Associate Residency Program Director, Director of Trauma Anesthesiology, Department of Anesthesiology-Presbyterian Hospital, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

    Shawn T. Beaman

  3. Chair, Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Emerson Hospital; Associate Professor, Northeastern University, Boston, MA (former faculty Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School), Concord, Massachusetts, USA

    James A. Street

Clinical Review

Clinical Review

  1. 1.

    The following neurotransmitter/s is/are inhibitory:

    1. A.

      GABA

    2. B.

      Glycine

    3. C.

      Glutamate

    4. D.

      Both A and B

  2. 2.

    The following neurotransmitter/s is/are excitatory:

    1. A.

      GABA

    2. B.

      Glycine

    3. C.

      Glutamate

    4. D.

      Both A and B

  3. 3.

    Ketamine acts primarily at the following receptor:

    1. A.

      N-methyl-d-aspartate

    2. B.

      GABA

    3. C.

      Glycine

    4. D.

      Calcium

Answers: 1. D, 2. C, 3. A

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Damian, D., Herlich, A. (2015). Mechanisms of Anesthetic Action. In: Sikka, P., Beaman, S., Street, J. (eds) Basic Clinical Anesthesia. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1737-2_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1737-2_9

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-1736-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-1737-2

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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