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Neural inertia and differences between loss of and recovery from consciousness during total intravenous anaesthesia: a narrative review
Author(s) -
Sepúlveda P. O.,
Tapia L. F.,
Monsalves S.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
anaesthesia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.839
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1365-2044
pISSN - 0003-2409
DOI - 10.1111/anae.14609
Subject(s) - phenomenon , consciousness , medicine , anesthesia , inertia , general anaesthesia , narrative review , narrative , neuroscience , intensive care medicine , psychology , epistemology , physics , classical mechanics , philosophy , linguistics
Summary Most anaesthetists using target‐controlled infusion systems will have observed that the calculated effect‐site concentration at loss of consciousness is usually higher than the concentration at emergence. Inertia is the ability of biological systems to keep a functional state at rest or in activity and is an active process of resistance to change in state. Hysteresis is a phenomenon whereby the value of a physical property lags behind changes in the effect that is causing it and this is also seen in anaesthesia pharmacology. Recently, a phenomenon called neuronal inertia has been proposed when trying to explain the resistance observed to changes in consciousness induced by general anaesthesia, independent of drug kinetics. This review discusses the existence of this phenomenon and the conceptual and practical impact it may have on induction and recovery from general anaesthesia.