What is nitrous oxide anesthesia?

The so-called “laughing gas anesthesia” is an anesthesia in which, among other things, laughing gas is used as a short-acting, inhalative narcotic. Since laughing gas has a good analgesic effect but only a limited narcotic effect, it is not sufficient as a narcotic alone. To achieve a sufficiently deep anaesthesia, nitrous oxide is combined with other inhalation anaesthetics, such as sevoflurane, analgesics (painkillers), such as remifentanil, or intravenous narcotics, such as propofol.

Depending on the procedure, muscle relaxants or barbiturates can also be added. An anesthetist is responsible for providing information about this anesthetic procedure and for carrying it out. Laughing gas is often added to the gas mixture during general anesthesia because of its analgesic effect.

Thus the amount of other inhalation anaesthetics can be reduced. The effect sets in very quickly and is largely reversed after a few minutes, as it can be breathed out quickly. If the combination of nitrous oxide and other drugs is used for a general anaesthesia/general anaesthesia, the same guidelines apply as for a general anaesthesia without nitrous oxide.

This means that the patient must be fasting. In contrast to sedation, the patient is unconscious under general anesthesia. In addition, ventilation is necessary during the procedure and thus the administration of muscle relaxants.

Indication for laughing gas

While nitrous oxide used to be used far more frequently in the past, it is now used only rarely and mainly during short surgical procedures. It has the decisive advantage that it has a sedative effect (unconsciousness) as well as an analgesic effect (anesthesia). This is a combination that not many anaesthetics have (mostly only sedating).

If at all, laughing gas is only used today for short procedures, because it floods and floods away quickly and therefore has a rapid effect. In paediatrics it is often used for minor procedures because of its good and tolerable effect. It is also often used in pediatric dentistry for dental procedures. In the operating room, however, laughing gas was largely replaced.Today there are alternative inhalation narcotics such as halothane. They are said to be more effective and easier to control during surgery, as well as more economical to use.