Inhaled Anesthetics & Volatile Agents for Anesthesia Technicians

Inhaled anesthetics are an important part of general anesthesia and connect pharmacology directly with anesthesia machines, vaporizers, breathing systems, ventilation, gas monitoring, and scavenging. Anesthesia technicians and technologists benefit from recognizing commonly encountered inhaled agents and understanding the equipment and safety principles involved in their delivery.

This lesson covers sevoflurane, desflurane, isoflurane, and nitrous oxide, along with volatile anesthetic delivery, vaporizers, minimum alveolar concentration (MAC), respiratory and cardiovascular effects, waste anesthetic gases, malignant hyperthermia awareness, equipment readiness, and the anesthesia technician's authorized role.