Which anesthesia technique uses only intravenous agents?

Which anesthesia technique uses only intravenous agents?

• A. Total Inhalation Anesthesia
• B. Volatile Anesthesia
• C. Total Intravenous Anesthesia
• D. Transvenous Anesthesia

Answer: (C)

Total intravenous anesthesia is defined by using medications delivered entirely through the intravenous route to induce and maintain anesthesia, without relying on inhaled anesthetic gases. In practice, hypnosis is produced with IV agents like propofol, analgesia with IV opioids such as fentanyl or remifentanil, and sometimes adjuncts or muscle relaxants given IV. The anesthesia is typically maintained by continuous IV infusion or target-controlled infusion, which allows precise control over depth of anesthesia and can lead to rapid recovery once the infusion stops because no inhaled agent needs to be cleared from the lungs. This differs from inhalation or volatile techniques, which depend on gases delivered through the airway and involve inhaled agents rather than IV drugs. Transvenous anesthesia isn’t a standard, recognized term for a formal technique focused on IV-only administration, so it doesn’t describe a true IV-only approach. Therefore, the IV-only approach is the one that uses only intravenous agents.

Total intravenous anesthesia is defined by using medications delivered entirely through the intravenous route to induce and maintain anesthesia, without relying on inhaled anesthetic gases. In practice, hypnosis is produced with IV agents like propofol, analgesia with IV opioids such as fentanyl or remifentanil, and sometimes adjuncts or muscle relaxants given IV. The anesthesia is typically maintained by continuous IV infusion or target-controlled infusion, which allows precise control over depth of anesthesia and can lead to rapid recovery once the infusion stops because no inhaled agent needs to be cleared from the lungs.

This differs from inhalation or volatile techniques, which depend on gases delivered through the airway and involve inhaled agents rather than IV drugs. Transvenous anesthesia isn’t a standard, recognized term for a formal technique focused on IV-only administration, so it doesn’t describe a true IV-only approach. Therefore, the IV-only approach is the one that uses only intravenous agents.