Anesth Pain Med.  2015 Oct;10(4):235-244. 10.17085/apm.2015.10.4.235.

How to design intravenous anesthetic dose regimens based on pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics principles

• Park JC

• KMID: 2148006
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.17085/apm.2015.10.4.235

Abstract

Pharmacokinetics is the study of the rate and degree of drug transport to various tissues in the human body. Pharmacokinetic parameters summarize drug kinetics and ideally predict a clinical situation. A single kinetic profile may be summarized by peak concentration, peak time, half-life and area under the curve. Dosage regimens are designed to confer the maximum desired effects for the required time period with minimal toxicity. Target-controlled infusions use pharmacokinetic models to titrate intravenous anesthetic administration to achieve a desired drug concentration. Context-sensitive half time is used to predict the clinical time course, rather than terminal half-life. It is important that anesthesiologists understand the basic pharmacological principles and apply them in their daily clinical practice. This review discusses the ways in which anesthesiologists can design a patient-specific dosage regimen of intravenous anesthetics by utilizing basic concepts of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics using pharmacokinetic simulations.

Keyword

Intravenous anesthetics; Pharmacodynamics; Pharmacokinetic parameter; Pharmacokinetics; Target controlled infusion

MeSH Terms

Anesthetics, Intravenous
Half-Life
Human Body
Pharmacokinetics*
Anesthetics, Intravenous