Volatile anaesthetics are eliminated in the terminal phase via the lungs.

Older, less popular, volatile anaesthetics, include halothane, enflurane, and methoxyflurane.

The volatile anaesthetics noted above have odors.

Desflurane, isoflurane and sevoflurane are the most widely used volatile anaesthetics today.

He studied the physiological actions of volatile anaesthetics, stressing the importance of quantitive measurement.

Modern anaesthetic machines have more rubber and plastic components which provide a reservoir for volatile anaesthetics, and should be flushed for 60 minutes.

Volatile anaesthetics, such as Enflurane, Halothane and Isflurane, are vaporised into the gas mixture administered to the patient.

Most general anaesthetics today are induced either with a needle, by intravenous injection, or by breathing a volatile anaesthetic through an anaesthetic circuit (inhalational induction).

These considerations are important now that modern clinical anaesthesia uses low concentrations of volatile anaesthetics which abolish consciousness but may still allow sensitisation of the cord unless nociceptive input is otherwise reduced - a concern voiced 80 years ago by Crile.

The possibility of anaesthesia by the inert gas argon in particular (even at 10 to 15 bar) suggests that the mechanism of action of volatile anaesthetics is an effect best described by physical chemistry, and not a chemical bonding action.

It was noted also that volatile anaesthetics are additive in their effects (a mixture of a half dose of two different volatile anaesthetics gave the same anaesthetic effect as a full dose of either drug alone).

Called TCI (target controlled infusion), this involves using a computer-controlled syringe driver (pump) to infuse propofol throughout the duration of surgery, removing the need for a volatile anaesthetic, and allowing pharmacologic principles to more precisely guide the amount of infusion of the drug.