Volatile anaesthesias' molecular biological course of action
Søholm, H.; Olsen, N.V.
Ugeskrift for Laeger 175(3): 123-127
2013
ISSN/ISBN: 1603-6824 PMID: 23331943 Document Number: 664489
Anaesthesia is extensively used worldwide and in Denmark alone more than 400,000 anaesthesias are performed each year. In spite of that the molecularly mechanism of anaesthesia has not been proven. Hypotheses have been suggested (lipid versus protein theory), but none has yet been able to explain the whole mechanism. Molecular targets for volatile anaesthetics (e.g. potassium and calcium channels) affected areas in the central nervous system and the impact on the cerebral metabolism versus the cerebral blood flow are discussed.