One of the important changes and presumed improvements in anesthesia in recent years has been increased facility of induction. The improvement has resulted from increased understanding concerning anesthetic equipment, vaporization, uptake of agents, and development of new agents. As a result of the change, the once-familiar excitement phase or prolonged induction or both have become infrequent occurrences. The rapid induction avoids much unpleasantness for patients and it facilitates busy operating schedules. The undesirable events of coughing, vomiting, laryngospasm, and other forms of physiologic trespass accruing to light anesthesia are minimized when rapid inductions are properly utilized.
This improvement, however, has not been developed without some accompanying hazard. Administration of lethal drugs at rapid rates while the evidences of drug effect are masked is a hazardous adventure. The induction of anesthesia in this situation can be accomplished much faster than the administrator can note and then correct any errors he may