Talk:Halothane

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

	Chemistry Portal Halothane is within the scope of WikiProject Chemicals, a daughter project of WikiProject Chemistry, which aims to improve Wikipedia's coverage of chemicals. To participate, help improve this article or visit the project page for details on the project.
Article Grading: The article has not been rated for quality and/or importance yet. Please rate the article and then leave comments here to explain the ratings and/or to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the article..

	This article is within the scope of WikiProject Medicine. Please visit the project page for details or ask questions at the doctor's mess.
???	This article has not yet received a rating on the assessment scale.
???	This article has not yet received an importance rating on the assessment scale.

Contents 1 Movie Reference 2 Hepatitis 3 Montreal Protocol and anaesthetics 4 Bad wrap for enflurane and isoflurane? 5 Flurane reference

[edit] Movie Reference

The movie "What Lies Beneath" uses Halothane as a critical plot element. In the movie it is used to paralyze a victim physically while still allowing them the ability to feel everything happening to them. My guess is that this is not possible. Can any one confirm if Halothane actually has this property?

If it did, it would be somewhat useless as an anesthetic then, wouldn't it? I agree, this is not possible. --71.227.190.111 03:53, 16 July 2006 (UTC)

I agree. However, a muscle relaxant such as pancuronium would indeed paralyze a victim without inducing anaesthesia or sedation in them. Pancuronium is used in the US in lethal injections (along with the anaesthetic sodium thiopental and potassium chloride to cause cardiac arrest), and Amnesty International have decried its use as there have been reports of the anaesthetic failing to work, leaving executees in pain but unable to express it. Sounds like the producers of What Lies Beneath chose the wrong drug! Ben 10:44, 16 July 2006 (UTC).

I also agree. Halothane will never paralyze without unconsciousness. As stated above, paralytic drugs (curare, succinlycholine, and pancuronium), however, paralyze with no effect on consciousness.

This plot point in "What Lies Beneath" is a load of rubbish. There is NO drug or chemical that can paralyze, without causing rapid (3-5mins) death by asphyxiation. Halothane keeps a person unconsious, that is its principle property. As noted, there are paralysing agents, which do not affect consiousness, but ALL lead to death in a few minutes. Consultant Anaesthetist (Anesthesiology) UK —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 82.71.35.211 (talk) 22:02, 2 January 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Hepatitis

"However, despite their lower metabolism, these newer agents are also associated with hepatitis."

I'm not sure what is meant by "associated with hepatitis" in this context. Can anyone clarify? Inoculatedcities 00:58, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Evidence of enflurane causing hepatitis is weak, and evidence of isoflurane causing hepatitis is essentially zero. -Mfbabcock

[edit] Montreal Protocol and anaesthetics

I have always been curious as to how anaesthetics were affected by the Montreal Protocol.

Halothane is, basically, a halon and is obviously a compund with very high ozone depleting potential (ODP) with its chlorine and bromine. Was the surgical profession affected by the montreal protocl and how did it respond?

The "Anaesthetic" profession (surgeons have little to do with these agents), has taken the protocol on board.

Previously anaesthetics were given in "open" circuits routinely. ie Gas is pumped through a vapouriser containing the volatile (halothane etc) and then into the patient, who then expired out the gas to the atmosphere (sometimes via some scavenging system). More commonly now, a much smaller amount of gas is needed, as the part expired by the patient goes through a CO2 filter, and any volatile left (and Oxygen and other gases) is re-used. Thus far less volatile is needed. I *think* also that medicinal products were excluded from the protocol. Consultant Anaesthetist (Anesthesiologist) UK

[edit] Bad wrap for enflurane and isoflurane?

I was uncomfortable with the enflurane and isoflurane hepatitis bit. Isoflurane is essentially not metabolized at all (< 1%). Enflurane is somewhat metabolized (about 2%). Mfbabcock 23:11, 6 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Flurane reference

Looks like this is a typo error Mfbabcock 23:17, 6 October 2006 (UTC)