DESFLURANE

COMMON BRAND NAME(S):

GENERIC NAME(S): DESFLURANE

 

Description: Desflurane is a volatile halogenated anaesthetic. It depresses the CNS causing loss of consciousness associated with an inability to perceive pain. It is used for induction and maintenance of general anaesthesia.
Pharmacokinetics: 
Absorption: Low blood/gas partition coefficient.
Excretion: Excreted mainly unchanged through the lungs.

Indications:

Inhaled desflurane is used to cause general anesthesia (loss of consciousness) before and during surgery in adults. It is also used as a maintenance anesthesia in adults and children after receiving other anesthetics before and during surgery.

Contraindications:

Should not be given in the following conditions:

  • Known or suspected genetic susceptibiity to malignant hyperthermia
  • Patients in whom general anesthesia is contraindicated
  • Induction of anesthesia in pediatric patients
  • Patients with known hypersensitivity or allergic reaction to desflurane
  • Patients with moderate to severe hepatic dysfunction

How to use desflurane:

A doctor or other trained health professional will give you desflurane in a hospital. desflurane is given via a vaporizer and breathed in through your mouth.

Please see Precautions section.

If any of the following side effects occur while taking desflurane, check with your doctor or nurse immediately:

More common:

  • bluish lips or skin
  • body aches or pain
  • congestion
  • cough
  • dryness or soreness of the throat
  • fever
  • hoarseness
  • not breathing
  • runny nose
  • tender, swollen glands in the neck
  • tightness in the chest
  • trouble breathing
  • trouble swallowing
  • voice changes

Less common:

  • blurred vision
  • chest pain or discomfort
  • dizziness
  • fast, pounding, or irregular heartbeat or pulse
  • headache
  • lightheadedness, dizziness, or fainting
  • nervousness
  • pounding in the ears
  • slow or irregular heartbeat
  • unusual tiredness

Precautions:

  • Your doctor will check you closely after receiving desflurane. This will allow your doctor to see if the medicine is working properly. Blood and urine tests may be needed to check for unwanted effects.
  • Hyperkalemia: This may occur rarely after receiving desflurane. Tell your doctor right away if you have confusion, irregular heartbeat, nausea or vomiting, numbness or tingling in the hands, feet, or legs, or trouble breathing after receiving desflurane.
  • Before you have any medical tests, tell the medical doctor in charge that you are taking desflurane. The results of some tests may be affected by desflurane.

Interactions:

Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. Discuss with your healthcare professional the use of your medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco.

Overdose:

The symptoms of overdosage of desflurane  can present as a deepening of anesthesia, cardiac and/or respiratory depression in spontaneously breathing patients, and cardiac depression in ventilated patients in whom hypercapnia and hypoxia may occur only at a late stage.

In the event of overdosage, or suspected overdosage, take the following actions: discontinue administration of desflurane, maintain a patent airway, initiate assisted or controlled ventilation with oxygen, and maintain adequate cardiovascular function.

Notes

Do not share this medication with others.Laboratory and/or medical tests (such as liver function, cholesterol levels) should be performed periodically to monitor your progress or check for side effects. Consult your doctor for more details.

Missed Dose

If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If it is near the time of the next dose, skip the missed dose and resume your usual dosing schedule. Do not double the dose to catch up.

Storage

Do not flush medications down the toilet or pour them into a drain unless instructed to do so. Properly discard this product when it is expired or no longer needed. Consult your pharmacist or local waste disposal company for more details about how to safely discard your product.

Brands:

There are no brands containing this molecule.

Related Articles

ULTRAVIST

UsesWarningsSide EffectsPrecautionsOverdose & BrandsUses Ultravist is used in the following conditions: Radiographic Imaging: Iopromide injection is utilized to enhance the [...]

ULTRAMOX

UsesWarningsSide EffectsPrecautionsOverdose & BrandsUses Ultramox is used in the following conditions: Respiratory Infections: Amoxicillin is often used to treat respiratory [...]

ULTRALIV

UsesWarningsSide EffectsPrecautionsOverdose & BrandsUses Ultraliv is used in the following conditions: Carnitine Orotate: Carnitine orotate is a combination of L-carnitine [...]