Talk:Halothane

Movie Reference
The movie "What Lies Beneath" uses Halothane as a critical plot element. In the movie it is used to paralyze a victim physically while still allowing them the ability to feel everything happening to them. My guess is that this is not possible. Can any one confirm if Halothane actually has this property?


 * If it did, it would be somewhat useless as an anesthetic then, wouldn't it? I agree, this is not possible. --71.227.190.111 03:53, 16 July 2006 (UTC)


 * I agree. However, a muscle relaxant such as pancuronium would indeed paralyze a victim without inducing anaesthesia or sedation in them.  Pancuronium is used in the US in lethal injections (along with the anaesthetic sodium thiopental and potassium chloride to cause cardiac arrest), and Amnesty International have decried its use as there have been reports of the anaesthetic failing to work, leaving executees in pain but unable to express it.  Sounds like the producers of What Lies Beneath chose the wrong drug!  Ben 10:44, 16 July 2006 (UTC).


 * I also agree. Halothane will never paralyze without unconsciousness. As stated above, paralytic drugs (curare, succinlycholine, and pancuronium), however, paralyze with no effect on consciousness.


 * This plot point in "What Lies Beneath" is a load of rubbish. There is NO drug or chemical that can paralyze, without causing rapid (3-5mins) death by asphyxiation. Halothane keeps a person unconsious, that is its principle property. As noted, there are paralysing agents, which do not affect consiousness, but ALL lead to death in a few minutes. Consultant Anaesthetist (Anesthesiology) UK —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 82.71.35.211 (talk) 22:02, 2 January 2007 (UTC).

Hepatitis
"However, despite their lower metabolism, these newer agents are also associated with hepatitis."

I'm not sure what is meant by "associated with hepatitis" in this context. Can anyone clarify? Inoculatedcities 00:58, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Evidence of enflurane causing hepatitis is weak, and evidence of isoflurane causing hepatitis is essentially zero. -Mfbabcock

Montreal Protocol and anaesthetics
I have always been curious as to how anaesthetics were affected by the Montreal Protocol.

Halothane is, basically, a halon and is obviously a compund with very high ozone depleting potential (ODP) with its chlorine and bromine. Was the surgical profession affected by the montreal protocl and how did it respond?


 * The "Anaesthetic" profession (surgeons have little to do with these agents), has taken the protocol on board.

Previously anaesthetics were given in "open" circuits routinely. ie Gas is pumped through a vapouriser containing the volatile (halothane etc) and then into the patient, who then expired out the gas to the atmosphere (sometimes via some scavenging system). More commonly now, a much smaller amount of gas is needed, as the part expired by the patient goes through a CO2 filter, and any volatile left (and Oxygen and other gases) is re-used. Thus far less volatile is needed. I *think* also that medicinal products were excluded from the protocol. Consultant Anaesthetist (Anesthesiologist) UK

Bad wrap for enflurane and isoflurane?
I was uncomfortable with the enflurane and isoflurane hepatitis bit. Isoflurane is essentially not metabolized at all (< 1%). Enflurane is somewhat metabolized (about 2%). Mfbabcock 23:11, 6 October 2006 (UTC)

This is an old talk contribution but there are reports of enflurane producing similar hepatitis. The mention of it is arguably correct. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Skinner doc (talk • contribs) 09:23, 6 December 2018 (UTC)

Flurane reference
Looks like this is a typo error Mfbabcock 23:17, 6 October 2006 (UTC)

Chirality?
The 2-carbon is obviously chiral, but which chirality? Or is it the racemate that's bioactive? DS (talk) 13:17, 7 March 2010 (UTC)


 * See this. They use racemic halothane and determine its structure by X-ray crystallography. I couldn't say for sure, but I reckon they probably use the racemate in medicine.


 * Ben (talk) 19:13, 7 March 2010 (UTC)


 * Actually, I just Googled "halothane racemic" and got the answer! Two articles from 1995 and 1996 say it's racemic.


 * 1995: "Many drugs, including the inhalation anesthetic halothane, are prepared and used therapeutically as racemic mixtures."


 * 1996: "Currently, halothane is administered in racemic form."


 * Ben (talk) 19:28, 7 March 2010 (UTC)
 * So where does this go in the article, then? DS (talk) 21:12, 7 March 2010 (UTC)
 * Better late than never, I've added it to the lead. Antony–22 (talk⁄contribs) 21:07, 20 February 2017 (UTC)

IUPAC name
1-bromo-1-chloro-2,2,2-trifluoroethane or 2-bromo-2-chloro-1,1,1-trifluoroethane ???????--Moda yahia (talk) 10:57, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

In Popular Culture
The Complete Equipment Guide and Briefing Manual for Q Branch book for the James Bond Roleplaying game mentions halothane, and it appears that in the Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me. It is mentioned in the context of a Dunhill lighter that is loaded with both butane and Halothane. Normally I am utterly loathe to tag an "in popular culture" section onto an otherwise verifible, provable and excellent article, but James Bond and the works of Flemming are quite notable and very provable to Wiki standards, the very fact that a third-party source (the TSR roleplaying game) made a point of mentioning it might mean that the use of Halothane in the secret agent millieu deserves a mention in the article. The article itself is so well written I'm loathe to Be Bold and just edit it in... opinions honored biochem/science editors? 65.30.143.228 (talk) 04:41, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

Malignant Hyperthermia
It is known to cause malignant hyperthermia in patients. Does anyone want to write the section? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Eggilicious (talk • contribs) 14:56, 5 May 2012 (UTC)

No. All the volatiles (the role of cyclopropane is unclear and nitrous oxide is safe) trigger MH so a generic entry for MH is enough. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Skinner doc (talk • contribs) 20:51, 9 July 2016 (UTC)

Halothane common in scientific studies with rodents
Halothane at a concentration of 2% is commonly used as anesthetic to bisect tissue from mice in laboratory protocol. ≈ — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.170.101.33 (talk) 04:42, 15 October 2014 (UTC)

Sussy of cancer?
Does halothane have any sussiness about being a carcinogen? All cats are british (talk) 23:36, 4 June 2021 (UTC)

Halothane is not thought carcinogenic. Isoflurane was for a while after flawed research in rodents. Skinner doc (talk) 20:13, 14 November 2021 (UTC)