Medical Nitrous Oxide

Nitrous Oxide is widely used in anesthesia. Its use improves the quality and safety of anesthesia induction, promotes faster recovery and reduces costs. Commonly known as laughing gas, it was first used as a dental analgesic and was widely used for anesthesia and analgesia in various surgical procedures.

The exact mechanism of action of medical nitrous oxide is unclear, but its action occurs in the pain center of the brain and spinal cord. It is thought to affect gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) cells by increasing the inhibition of nerve cells that cause drowsiness and sleep. It is also related to the release of endogenous neurotransmitters such as opioid peptides and serotonin. It is believed that the release of these neurotransmitters activates the descending pain pathway that inhibits pain transmission.

Contraindications

In some cases, the use of medical nitrous oxide is prohibited. For example, in in-patients who have recently undergone eye surgery (vitrectomy) to insert a bubble, nitrous oxide may diffuse into the bubble, causing the bubble to expand and eventually burst. Linde Healthcare can provide a gas warning bracelet for any patient who has undergone this type of eye surgery. This warns anesthesiologists or healthcare professionals, especially not to use nitrous oxide.

Nitrous oxide can cause a rise in intracranial pressure, so it should not be used in cases of head injury, and it must never be used if the patient has any conditions where the air is trapped in the body and expansion would be dangerous, for example: 

-Pneumothorax

-Abdominal

-Distension

-Suspected

-Intestinal obstruction

-Bullous Emphysema

-Middle ear surgery

-After a recent dive

-Jaw and face (maxillo-facial) injuries

-Impaired

-Consciousness 

-Intoxication