Desflurane

Excerpt

Desflurane is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) primarily for use as an anesthetic. The FDA-approved indications of desflurane include the induction or maintenance of anesthesia in adults, as well as the maintenance of anesthesia in pediatric patients after induction with other agents. Desflurane is a racemic mixture of 2 enantiomers resistant to defluorination. It was initially synthesized in the 1970s and is chemically described as 1,2,2,2-tetrafluoroethyl difluoromethyl ether. Unlike other inhalational anesthetic agents, desflurane is not associated with nephrotoxicity as it is exclusively halogenated with fluorine and is resistant to defluorination. Desflurane has the most rapid onset among inhalational anesthetics, yet its higher cost restricts its usage compared to other agents.