Title

Anaesthesia and saccadic eye movements.

Authors

Khan, O. A.; Taylor, S. R. J.; Jones, J. G.

Abstract

During the last 10 years, there has been a vast increase in day-case surgery under general anaesthesia, but this has not been accompanied by research into the residual cognitive and motor effects during recovery from anaesthesia. Part of the explanation for this phenomenon is the lack of a suitable biophysical monitor of anaesthetic sedation. This review discusses one of the most commonly used of these biophysical monitors – namely saccadic eye movements. In particular, the efficacy of peak saccadic velocity as a monitor of sedation will be evaluated. In addition, the physiology and pharmacology of saccadic eye movements will be discussed within the context of developing other parameters of saccadic eye movements as novel biophysical monitors of anaesthetic sedation.

Subjects

SACCADIC eye movements; DRUG monitoring; SEDATIVES; ANESTHETICS; PHYSIOLOGY

Publication

Anaesthesia, 2000, Vol 55, Issue 9, p877

ISSN

0003-2409

Publication type

Academic Journal

DOI

10.1046/j.1365-2044.2000.01529.x