Dissociative Anesthesia

Dissociative anesthesia is a different type of anesthesia, characterized in the patient by catalepsy, amnesia, and marked analgesia. The clinical effects on the central nervous and cardiovascular systems of patients are so different from those of conventional anesthesia, produced with barbiturates and hydrocarbons, that reorientation of the reflexes of the anesthesiologist is necessary for most effective use. Dissociative anesthesia still is in the process of being perfected.