Accession Number:

AD0672080

Title:

ELECTRICAL ANESTHESIA.

Descriptive Note:

Final progress rept. 1 May 63-31 Mar 68,

Corporate Author:

CALIFORNIA UNIV SAN FRANCISCO MEDICAL CENTER

Personal Author(s):

• Smith,Robert H.

Report Date:

1968-04-01

Pagination or Media Count:

16.0

Abstract:

It was found that painful induction, tissue injury, and fading of anesthesia disappearance of anesthesia despite the continuing flow of current which produced the anesthesia were the chief problems. Most of the deleterious effects of electroanesthesia were consequent to the techniques of administration of current, not to the current per se. Tissue injury could be prevented by using bidirectional square pulse current. Repetition rates of 15,000 to 20,000 pulses per second were relatively painless, but inefficient in electroanesthesia production. Two streams of current were applied at the rate of the difference between the two applied frequencies and this rate was 100 to 1,000 times per second. Current was applied with little discomfort and electrical change was produced in the brain at a low repetition rate which was found to be efficient in electroanesthesia production. Fading was found to be controllable simply by reducing frequency just as the fading began. Author

Descriptors:

• *ANESTHESIA
• *ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY
• NERVOUS SYSTEM
• PHYSIOLOGY
• NERVE CELLS
• TISSUES(BIOLOGY)
• PAIN
• CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
• BRAIN
• NERVES
• ANESTHETICS
• ELECTRIC CURRENT

Subject Categories:

• Medicine and Medical Research

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE