Desflurane and neural control of airway tone

Excerpt

The study by Myers et al. 1 in this edition of the Journal adds to our understanding of the role of desflurane in reactive airway disease. The authors compare the ability of sevoflurane with that of desflurane to alter respiratory mechanics following a cholinergic contraction in normal or sensitized rabbits whose lungs were ventilated through a tracheostomy. This study is an important addition to a growing body of literature which addresses an important clinical question: Does the choice of volatile anesthetic matter in patients with reactive airway disease, and more specifically, is desflurane a bad choice in patients with reactive airway disease? …