Halothane, << HAL uh thayn, >> is a drug doctors use to make patients insensitive to pain during surgery. It is a general anesthetic–that is, it produces unconsciousness and loss of feeling throughout the entire body.
Halothane is a clear, colorless liquid that gives off pleasant-smelling, nonirritating vapors. Halothane vapor is nonflammable. Halothane therefore poses no risk of fire or explosion when used in the presence of electrical medical equipment. Patients who have received halothane regain consciousness rapidly.
Halothane is usually administered along with other drugs. Doctors often bring about anesthesia with an injection of thiopental, a barbiturate. Halothane is then administered to maintain anesthesia during surgery. Patients inhale the halothane vapor, usually in combination either with oxygen or with a mixture of oxygen and nitrous oxide. In many cases, drugs that provide additional muscle relaxation are also administered.
Halothane was discovered in England in 1951 and was first used in surgery in 1956 in the United States. Since then, halothane has become extremely popular. It has replaced ether as the standard by which other inhaled anesthetics are judged. Halothane’s trade name is Fluothane.
The discovery of halothane led to the search for other safe and effective anesthetics that contain halogens (see Halogen ). Of the hundreds of such compounds that have been found and studied, only two–enflurane and isoflurane–have emerged as useful agents for producing anesthesia.
