The Effect of Changing from Isoflurane to Desflurane during the Latter Part of Anaesthesia on the Recovery Profile

Compared to other currently available inhalational anaesthetics, desflurane is less soluble. Consequently, its rapid elimination from the brain is expected to result in an improved postoperative recovery profile. However, desflurane is more expensive to administer than other inhalational anaesthetics. Isoflurane is a commonly used inhaled volatile anaesthetic because it is relatively inexpensive despite its high solubility. To combine the advantages of rapid emergence from desflurane anaesthesia with the lower cost of a more soluble inhalation anaesthetic, we substitute desflurane with isoflurane during the latter part of anaesthesia and compare the emergence and recovery characteristic with pure desflurane and pure isoflurane anesthesia. We hypothesize the substitution from isoflurane to desflurane during the latter part of anesthesia improve recovery and emergence characteristics.