Coinduction (anesthetics)

The use of coinduction allows lower doses of the same anesthetic agents to be used which provides enhanced safety, faster recovery, fewer side-effects, and more predictable pharmacodynamics.

A great variety of coinduction combinations are in use and selection is dependent on the patient's age and health, the specific situation, and the indication for anesthesia.

A standard coinduction regimen for an adult might consist of a benzodiazepine sedative amnesic such as midazolam, followed by an opioid analgesic with further sedating properties such as fentanyl which has a fast onset, then an intravenous induction agent: propofol.

In all cases the choice of agents would be tailored to the situation; for a neonatal intubation the aforementioned regimes would be inappropriate as sedation and especially amnesia are less important.

Fentanyl alone would be used, followed by the short-action muscle relaxant suxamethonium: coinduction is typically not used in neonatal anesthesia.

The anesthetic area of an operating room. Induction of anesthesia, where the patient loses consciousness and passes through the Guedel stages of anesthesia , commonly takes place here.