Sho acting anesthetic agent used for day care surgery is: September 2005, 2010

Ans.: C: Propofol Propofol is a sho-acting, intravenously administered hypnotic agent. Its uses include the induction and maintenance of general anaesthesia, sedation for mechanically ventilated adults, and procedural sedation. Propofol is unrelated to barbiturates, and has largely replaced sodium thiopental (Pentothal) for induction of anaesthesia because recovery from propofol is more rapid and "clear" when compared with thiopental. Propofol is not considered an analgesic, so opioids such as fentanyl may be combined with propofol to allete pain and it is the agent of choice for total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA). It is used to produce sedation in ICU. It is the agent of choice for induction in susceptible individuals for malignant hypehermia. Due to its amnestic effects and appearance as a white liquid, propofol has been humorously dubbed "milk of amnesia".