Abstract
Sevoflurane is widely recognized for its ability to enable rapid emergence from anesthesia. However, it should also be recognized as an agent for rapid anesthesia induction. Previously, halothane was used for slow anesthesia induction, but the possibility of adverse events such as laryngospasm or vomiting were always a concern to anesthesiologists. One-breath induction with sevoflurane is a drastically different concept from slow induction with halothane. Vital capacity induction with a pause at maximum inspiration is recommended because of its ability to induce anesthesia rapidly. Only tens of seconds are required to induce sleep, which is comparable to the onset of intravenous anesthetics, although a good mask fit and manual ventilation are required. Comparison studies have confirmed that sevoflurane induces anesthesia quite rapidly and rarely induces undesirable adverse reactions. Since induction is as rapid as that of intravenous anesthesia, adverse events can be avoided. VIMA (volatile induction and maintenance of anesthesia) can be regarded as “seamless anesthesia” using a single agent for induction and maintenance. The adoption of rapid one-breath anesthesia induction using sevoflurane should enable the avoidance of “halothane trauma” .
