Uptake of Inhalants

Veterinary Pharmacology &

Therapeutics, 8th edition, 2001
Pages 184-196
 Objectives
Study:
• Dalton’s & Henry’s Laws in inhalation
anesthesia
• MAC, Anesthetic potency, Partition coefficient
• Factors raising alveolar concentration and
their effect on induction and recovery time
• Factors lowering alveolar concentration
• Factors affecting uptake of anesthetics in
tissues & their effects on induction, recovery
time
 Review Gas Laws
• Boyles law: volume varies inversely as the pressure at
constant temperature.

• Dalton’s law: total pressure (barometric pressure)

exerted by a mixture of gases (air) equals
arithmetic sum of individual gas (partial)
pressures.

• Henry’s law: The quantity of gas that dissolves in a

liquid varies directly as the pressure overlying the
liquid, at constant temperature.
 Review of Gas Laws
• Vapor: the gaseous aggregate of molecules of the liquid
• Vapor pressure: molecules of vapor exert a pressure
similar to gases
• Latent heat of vaporization: the heat necessary to
vaporize the liquid
• The vapor pressure & latent heat of vaporization
determine the ability of an anesthetic to vaporize.
• Partition coefficient: the ratio of concentrations of a
substance in two phases at equilibrium.
 Minimum Alveolar
Concentration (MAC)
• MAC value is the minimum concentration of an
anesthetic that will produce immobility in 50% of
those animals exposed to the noxious stimulus.

• MAC is a measure of potency and used for comparing

anesthetics.

• MAC values for Dog: (see the handout table)

MOF 0.23, Hal 0.87, N2O 188
 Physiologic Circuit

Physiologic circuit diagram: uptake continues until partial pressures of the

anesthetic in blood and lungs (two phases) are the same. Blood flow –
Brain, muscle, skin, fat, bone. S olubility – Brain, fat, muscle, skin, bone.

Blood/gas partition coefficient is the ratio of concentrations of the anesthetic in

two phases at equilibrium (blood & alveoli). Low coefficient means less
soluble and equilibrium will be reached faster.
 Commandments
MAC Value Concepts:
1. The lower the MAC value, the higher the
potency
2. The lower the MAC value, the higher the
solubility
3. The higher the solubility, the longer the
induction time (the lower the MAC value, the
longer the induction time)
 Alveolar Concentration
Factors raising the alveolar concentration
• Inspired concentration: the higher the inspired
concentration, the higher the alveolar concentration
• Alveolar ventilation: the greater the ventilation, the
faster reach of alveolar concentration to the inspired
concentration
• FRC: the larger the FRC, the slower the rise of
concentration in the alveolus
 Alveolar Concentration
Factors lowering alveolar concentration

• Uptake by blood (depends on solubility, cardiac

output, alveolar to venous anesthetic concentration
difference

• Minor loss in the lung tissue itself

 Tissue uptake
• Uptake by blood in the lung is proportional to
the peripheral tissue (brain, fat, etc.) uptake
• Partial pressure of anesthetic in the mixed
venous blood depend on the tissue uptake
• Tissue uptake depends on 1) solubility 2) tissue
blood flow 3) arterial to tissue anesthetic
partial pressure difference
 Tissue uptake
(Contd)
• Arterial to tissue anesthetic partial pressure
difference will decrease with time during
induction and eventually reaches zero
(equilibrium)
• Reaching equilibrium is directly related to
blood flow and indirectly related to the tissue
capacity for uptake. If capacity is high, the
equilibrium will be reached slowly.
 Self Analysis
• Define MAC
• How is MAC value related to potency
induction time and solubility of the agent
• How is cardiac output related to blood
uptake and induction time
• Why are the induction times of nitrous
oxide, methoxyflurane, and halothane in
a dog different?