Controversial issues in adult and paediatric... : Current Opinion in Anaesthesiology (original) (raw)

Controversial issues in adult and paediatric ambulatory anaesthesia: is there a role for alpha-2 agonists in conscious sedation in adults and paediatric ambulatory surgical practice?

Stefan Wilhelm
Mervyn Maze

Current Opinion in Anaesthesiology

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619

624

December 2000

Ambulatory surgery has come to the fore in recent years, guided by the twin forces of healthcare economics and pharmacological innovations. In this review the authors will focus on α2-adrenergic agonists, a new class of sedative/analgesic agents and their possible application for conscious sedation in the ambulatory care setting. To put the α2-agonists into clinical context, we will discuss the currently available agents for general anaesthesia as well as for conscious sedation and their respective drawbacks. Thereafter we will compare and contrast the use of α2-agonists with clinically available agents, and speculate as to the direction this field is likely to take in the future.