Halothane

Halothane
Clinical data
Trade namesFluothane
AHFS/Drugs.comFDA Professional Drug Information
License data
Routes of
administration		Inhalation
ATC code
Legal status
Legal status
Pharmacokinetic data
MetabolismHepatic (CYP2E1[4])
ExcretionKidney, respiratory
Identifiers
  • 2-Bromo-2-chloro-1,1,1-trifluoroethane
CAS Number
PubChem CID
IUPHAR/BPS
DrugBank
ChemSpider
UNII
KEGG
ChEBI
ChEMBL
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)
ECHA InfoCard100.005.270 Edit this at Wikidata
Chemical and physical data
FormulaC2HBrClF3
Molar mass197.38 g·mol−1
3D model (JSmol)
Density1.871 g/cm3 (at 20 °C)
Melting point−118 °C (−180 °F)
Boiling point50.2 °C (122.4 °F)
  • BrC(Cl)C(F)(F)F
  • InChI=1S/C2HBrClF3/c3-1(4)2(5,6)7/h1H checkY
  • Key:BCQZXOMGPXTTIC-UHFFFAOYSA-N checkY
  (verify)

Halothane, sold under the brand name Fluothane among others, is a general anaesthetic.[5] It can be used to induce or maintain anaesthesia.[5] One of its benefits is that it does not increase the production of saliva, which can be particularly useful in those who are difficult to intubate.[5] It is given by inhalation.[5]

Side effects include an irregular heartbeat, respiratory depression, and hepatotoxicity.[5] Like all volatile anesthetics, it should not be used in people with a personal or family history of malignant hyperthermia.[5] It appears to be safe in porphyria.[6] It is unclear whether its usage during pregnancy is harmful to the fetus, and its use during a C-section is generally discouraged.[7] Halothane is a chiral molecule that is used as a racemic mixture.[8]

Halothane was discovered in 1951.[9] It was approved for medical use in the United States in 1958.[3] It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.[10] Its use in developed countries has been mostly replaced by newer anesthetic agents such as sevoflurane.[11] It is no longer commercially available in the United States.[7] Halothane also contributes to ozone depletion.[12][13]

  1. ^ Anvisa (31 March 2023). "RDC Nº 784 — Listas de Substâncias Entorpecentes, Psicotrópicas, Precursoras e Outras sob Controle Especial" [Collegiate Board Resolution No. 784 — Lists of Narcotic, Psychotropic, Precursor, and Other Substances under Special Control] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Diário Oficial da União (published 4 April 2023). Archived from the original on 3 August 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  2. ^ "Halothane, USP". DailyMed. 18 September 2013. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Fluothane: FDA-Approved Drugs". U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  4. ^ "Halothane". DrugBank. DB01159.
  5. ^ a b c d e f World Health Organization (2009). Stuart MC, Kouimtzi M, Hill SR (eds.). WHO Model Formulary 2008. World Health Organization. pp. 17–8. hdl:10665/44053. ISBN 978-92-4-154765-9.
  6. ^ James MF, Hift RJ (July 2000). "Porphyrias". British Journal of Anaesthesia. 85 (1): 143–53. doi:10.1093/bja/85.1.143. PMID 10928003.
  7. ^ a b "Halothane — FDA prescribing information, side effects and uses". www.drugs.com. June 2005. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  8. ^ Bricker S (17 June 2004). The Anaesthesia Science Viva Book. Cambridge University Press. p. 161. ISBN 978-0-521-68248-0. Archived from the original on 10 September 2017 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ Walker SR (2012). Trends and Changes in Drug Research and Development. Springer. p. 109. ISBN 978-94-009-2659-2. Archived from the original on 10 September 2017.
  10. ^ World Health Organization (2023). The selection and use of essential medicines 2023: web annex A: World Health Organization model list of essential medicines: 23rd list (2023). Geneva: World Health Organization. hdl:10665/371090. WHO/MHP/HPS/EML/2023.02.
  11. ^ Yentis SM, Hirsch NP, Ip J (2013). Anaesthesia and Intensive Care A-Z: An Encyclopedia of Principles and Practice (5th ed.). Elsevier Health Sciences. p. 264. ISBN 978-0-7020-5375-7. Archived from the original on 10 September 2017.
  12. ^ Kümmerer K (2013). Pharmaceuticals in the Environment: Sources, Fate, Effects and Risks. Springer. p. 33. ISBN 978-3-662-09259-0.
  13. ^ Langbein T, Sonntag H, Trapp D, Hoffmann A, Malms W, Röth EP, et al. (January 1999). "Volatile anaesthetics and the atmosphere: atmospheric lifetimes and atmospheric effects of halothane, enflurane, isoflurane, desflurane and sevoflurane". British Journal of Anaesthesia. 82 (1): 66–73. doi:10.1093/bja/82.1.66. PMID 10325839.