[Xenon anaesthesia--clinical characteristics, benefits and disadvantages and fields of application]

Abstract

The noble gas xenon provides many characteristics of the 'ideal anaesthetic agent'. Xenon offers outstanding haemodynamic stability and rapid emergence from anaesthesia without relevant side effects or toxity. The major limitation for its application in clinical routine is the high price. Recent studies demonstrated additional protective effects against ischaemic injury in particular for the heart and the brain. Therefore, xenon may be beneficial in a subset of high risk patients or operations and may become a meaningful alternative to other anaesthetics in this population.