Auxiliary drugs (benzodiazepines, opioid analgesics, presynaptic α2-adrenergic receptor agonists, peripheral myorelaxants) used in general anesthesia

Overview

This review represents a continuation of the already published surveys on substances used in local, general inhalational, and intravenous anesthesia. The administration of a single active substance in these applications is rare, as it is not capable of inducing anesthesia without seriously compromising hemodynamic or respiratory functions, aggravating the operating conditions, or delaying the postoperative recovery. For this reason, other agents (benzodiazepines, opioid analgesics, presynaptic α2-adrenergic receptor agonists and peripheral myorelaxants) are standard components of general anesthesia (in addition to the anesthetic agents listed in the previous reviews), which improve the profile of each anesthetic agent. Each additive has an effect on the properties of the anesthetics used. The review contains the characteristics of individual groups of co-administered substances with their chemical structure, chemical IUPAC name, and pharmacological and pharmacokinetic profile. Chemical structures are organized into groups according to their structure or pharmacological effect and attention is also paid to their stereochemistry (presence of stereogenic center, chair form of cyclic systems).

Keywords:

Anesthetics – opioid analgesics – benzodiazepines – presynaptic α2-adrenergic receptor agonists – peripheral myorelaxants