Subjective, psychomotor, cognitive, and analgesic effects of subanesthetic concentrations of sevoflurane and nitrous oxide.
Anesthesiology November 1, 1997 J L Galinkin, D Janiszewski, C J Young et al.
Sevoflurane, a volatile general anesthetic, and nitrous oxide, a gaseous anesthetic, produce different subjective, psychomotor, and analgesic effects at equal subanesthetic concentrations. In 12 healthy volunteers, sevoflurane caused greater amnesia, psychomotor impairment, and drowsiness than nitrous oxide, while only nitrous oxide provided analgesic effects. Recovery from both drugs was rapid. The distinct effect profiles align with their chemical and mechanistic differences.