Whalen Francis X, Bacon Douglas R, Smith Hugh M
Department of Anesthesiology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol. 2005 Sep;19(3):323-30. doi: 10.1016/j.bpa.2005.02.001.
Inhalational agents have played a pivotal role in anesthesia history. The first publicly demonstrated anesthetic of the modern era, diethyl ether, was an inhalational anesthetic. The attributes of a good agent, ability to rapidly induce anesthesia, with limited side effects has led research efforts for over a hundred and fifty years. The explosion hazard was largely conquered with the development of the halogenated agents in the 1950s. Rapid emergence, with limited nausea and vomiting continue to drive discovery efforts, yet the 'modern' agents continue to improve upon those in the past. The future holds promise, but perhaps the most interesting contrast over time is the ability to rapidly introduce new agents into practice. From James Young Simpson's dinner table one evening to the operating suite the next day, modern agents take decades from first synthesis to clinical introduction.
吸入性麻醉剂在麻醉史上发挥了关键作用。现代史上第一个公开演示的麻醉剂——乙醚，就是一种吸入性麻醉剂。一种优良麻醉剂应具备迅速诱导麻醉且副作用有限的特性，这推动了长达一百五十多年的研究工作。20世纪50年代卤化麻醉剂的研发在很大程度上克服了爆炸危险。快速苏醒以及恶心呕吐反应有限这两个特点仍在推动着新麻醉剂的研发工作，然而“现代”麻醉剂仍在不断改进以往的产品。未来充满希望，但或许随着时间推移最有趣的对比在于新麻醉剂投入实际应用的速度。从詹姆斯·扬·辛普森某天晚上在餐桌上首次使用，到第二天就应用于手术室，而现代麻醉剂从首次合成到临床应用需要数十年时间。
