Question

. What is balanced anesthesia? Provide examples of drugs that may be used with balanced anesthesia.

Answer 1

Balanced anesthesia is an anesthesia which is made with the help of doses of two or more agents which is administered through various routes to give rise to desired effect. It involves the complete knowledge of pharmacology as well as physiology. It requires the full clinical knowledge of the method of administration and the ability to handle the patient before, during and after the use of anesthesia. It is considered to be safer than the normal dose of single agent. It is said to increase the comfort ability as well as safety of the patient and minimizes the risk associated. The use of balanced anesthesia make sure that the adverse event, pain associated with the agent is reduced as well as it calms the patient. It also reduces the stress response as well as the mortality and improves the hemodynamic stability.

This term was coined by Lundy in year 1926.

By the use of balanced anesthesia, the metabolism of the patient undergoes a very slight disturbance and is more protective as compared to other techniques. The patient goes through smaller and uneventful postoperative route.

The usage of procaine with epinephrine is one of the examples of balanced local analgesic.

Tranquilizers (the antisialogogue) are a very potent balanced anesthetic.

Sufentanil is an opioid analgesic which is used as adjunct in balanced anesthesia. Other example is Remifentanil.

Balanced anesthesia is a mixture of art as well as art.