A nurse is teaching nursing students about inhalation anesthesia and asks, "What is balanced anesthesia?" Which response by a student is correct?
A) "An anesthesia that has a brief induction period with a rapid emergence from its effects"
B) "An inhalation anesthesia that produces both muscle relaxation and unconsciousness"
C) "An anesthesia that provides maximum analgesia with minimal respiratory side effects"
D) "An anesthesia that combines other drugs with inhalation anesthesia to produce the desired effects"

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Balanced anesthesia is the use of a combination of drugs, along with an inhaled anesthetic, to produce effects that cannot safely be accomplished with inhalation anesthesia alone. These adjunct drugs are used to help induce anesthesia, provide muscle relaxation, and increase analgesia so that a lower and safer dose of the inhalation anesthetic can be used. The other three options describe characteristics of an ideal anesthetic, which does not exist; to get these effects, a combination of other drugs must be used.

A Nurse Is Teaching Nursing Students About Inhalation Anesthesia and Asks