Clinical experience with fluothane, a new non-explosive anaesthetic agent.

FoR ~ANY YEARS anaesthetists have felt the need for a non-explosive anaesthetic agent possessing none of the. disadvantages assocmted with chloroform, trichlorethylene and mtrous o~ide, rhat is, the agent should be non-hepatotoxm, stable in the presence of soda lime and heat, an~ have a high therapeu :ie ratio. Since most heavily fluorinated hydrocarbons are not m2qamma )le, and many possess anaesthetic properties,, they present interesting pos,,ibilities. Robbins (1) found that some hydrocarbons had greater therapeutic rati.os than chloroform or ether, but that when they were used, severe hypotension, cardiac arrhythmias and slamulation of skeletal mtlscle occurred. In 1956, Rav ent6s and Suckhng synthesized and investigated a series of fluorinated hydrocarbons, and one in particular-CF8 CHC [Br (Fluothane)-was found to have potent anaesthetic properties (2). The first clinical trial has been reported by Johnstone (8)_who studied the human cardiovascular response to Fluqthane|