Anaes SAQs · Volatile & inhalational agents
Nitrous oxide — pharmacology, risks and the ENIGMA-II evidence
The nitrous oxide SAQ — the weak analgesic (MAC ~104%), the gas-space expansion and B12-inactivation, and the ENIGMA-II outcomes (no excess death/MI; more PONV).
On this page
Study tools
Target exams
ANZCAFRCAABAEDAIC
Prompt
Outline the pharmacology of nitrous oxide. Include its mechanism and potency, its three principal risks, and what the ENIGMA-II trial concluded about its cardiovascular safety.
Question
Outline the pharmacology of nitrous oxide. Include its mechanism and potency, its three principal risks, and what the ENIGMA-II trial concluded about its cardiovascular safety.
References3ShowHide
- [1]Myles PS, Leslie K, Chan MT, Forbes A, et al. The safety of addition of nitrous oxide to general anaesthesia in at-risk patients (ENIGMA-II). The Lancet, 2014.PMID 25142708
- [2]Leslie K, Myles PS, Kasza J, Forbes A, et al. Nitrous Oxide and Serious Long-term Morbidity and Mortality in the ENIGMA-II Trial. Anesthesiology, 2015.PMID 26501387
- [3]Bersten AD, Soni N (eds) Oh's Intensive Care Manual. 8th edition, Elsevier, 2018.