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USDailyMed:Desflurane AU:B3 N01AB07(WHO) AU:S4(Prescription only)BR:Class C1(Other controlled substances)US:℞-only 2-(difluoromethoxy)-1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane 57041-67-5Y 42113 7156 DB01189Y 38403Y CRS35BZ94Q D00546Y CHEBI:4445Y ChEMBL1200733N DTXSID80866606 Interactive image FC(F)(F)C(F)OC(F)F InChI=1S/C3H2F6O/c4-1(3(7,8)9)10-2(5)6/h1-2HYKey:DPYMFVXJLLWWEU-UHFFFAOYSA-NY Desflurane(1,2,2,2-tetrafluoroethyl difluoromethyl ether), under the brand name Suprane, is ahighly fluorinated methyl ethyl etherused for induction and maintenance ofgeneral anesthesia.Desflurane was developed in the 1980s and approved by the FDA in 1992 as a faster acting and clearing inhalant anesthetic compared to previously used inhalant anesthetics.Likehalothane,enflurane, andisoflurane, it is aracemic mixtureof (R) and (S) optical isomers (enantiomers).‍‍‍‍‍‍​​​‍​​​​​​ It has the most rapid onset and offset of thevolatile anestheticdrugs used forgeneral anesthesiadue to its low solubility in blood. It is lipophobic and hydrophobic, and therefore does not easily dissolve in blood. Some drawbacks of desflurane are its low potency, its pungency, and its high cost (though at low flow fresh gas rates, the cost difference between desflurane and isoflurane appears to be insignificant). It may causetachycardiaand airway irritability when administered at concentrations greater than 10% by volume. Due to this airway irritability, desflurane is infrequently used to induce anesthesia via inhalation techniques. Though it vaporizes very readily, it is a liquid at room temperature.Desflurane has a high vapor pressure and a low boiling point, requiring a specific anesthetic vaporizer.Anaesthetic machinesare fitted with a specializedanaesthetic vaporizerunit that heats liquid desflurane at a constant temperature and pressure.This enables the agent to be available at a constant vapor pressure and negating the effects of fluctuating ambient temperatures. Desflurane, along withenfluraneand to a lesser extentisoflurane, has been shown to react with thecarbon dioxideabsorbent in anesthesia circuits to produce detectable levels ofcarbon monoxidethrough degradation of the anesthetic agent. The CO2absorbentBaralyme, when dried, is most culpable for the production of carbon monoxide from Desflurane degradation, although it is also seen withsoda limeabsorbent as well. Dry conditions in the carbon dioxide absorbent are conducive to this phenomenon, such as those resulting from high fresh gas flows.