General inhalational anesthetics - pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics and chiral properties.

Since the advent of nitric oxide, diethyl ether, chloroform and cyclopropane, the greatest advancement in the area of general inhalational anesthetics has been achieved by the introduction of fluorinated anesthetics and the relevant chiral techniques. This progress led to marked decrease in mortality rates in anesthesia. In the group of chiral fluorinated compounds, halothane (Fluotan®), isoflurane (Foran®), desflurane (Supran®) and enflurane (Ehran®) are deployed as volatile anesthetics.