Thiopental, << `thy` oh PEHN tal, >> is a barbiturate used to produce sleep for surgery. It is a general anesthetic–that is, a drug that causes unconsciousness and loss of feeling in the entire body. The trade name of thiopental is Pentothal or Sodium Pentothal.
The use of thiopental as an anesthetic was first publicly demonstrated in 1934 by John S. Lundy at the Mayo Clinic. Thiopental anesthesia soon came into wide use, largely because thiopental could be safely used in situations where flammable anesthetics, such as ether and cyclopropane, produced a danger of fire or explosion. Today, thiopental is used to bring about anesthesia for surgery throughout the world.
Thiopental is usually administered by injection into a vein. Because receiving an injection is more pleasant for most patients than breathing the vapors of an inhaled anesthetic, physicians use thiopental to begin anesthesia for surgery. After the patient is asleep, physicians usually maintain anesthesia with nitrous oxide, halothane, or other inhaled anesthetics.
Psychiatrists sometimes give patients small doses of thiopental. The drug helps patients discuss their thoughts and emotions more freely. For this reason, it is sometimes called a “truth serum.”
