• Home
• Defective Drug Index
• About A Drug Recall
• Contact A Defective Drug Lawyer

We Can Help.

FDA Approves Etomidate, Generic Anesthesia

-January 6, 2008

Recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new fast-acting generic anesthesia, known as etomidate. Approved for use in short procedures, etomidate induces "conscious sedation," a state in which consciousness is dramatically depressed so patients feel sleepy/ relaxed during a medical procedure.

Also sold under the brand name Amidate, etomidate is produced by Parenta Pharma, an American pharmaceutical manufacturer based in South Carolina and Pennsylvania.

Advantages of Etomidate

As an intravenous anesthesia, etomidate has a number of benefits, including that it:

• allows patients to continue breathing normally
• doesn't affect heart rate significantly
• doesn't induce histamine release (meaning that patients are unlikely to have allergic reactions to this anesthesia)
• is unlikely to lower blood pressure
• starts working within minutes of being administered

Consequently, etomidate is ideal for use in emergency rooms, where immediate sedation that won't depress vital signs nor complicate current health problems is needed.

Uses of Etomidate

Specifically, etomidate is typically an ideal anesthesia for use in the following procedures:

• adjusting dislocated joints
• collecting tissue samples for biopsies (particularly from the cervix to test for cervical cancer)
• expanding (dilation of) the eye, cervix or other organ prior to another, more invasive procedure
• resetting fractures
• using electric currents to treat accelerated heart rate (a process known as cardioversion)

When further, more invasive procedures are necessary, etomidate can be used in conjunction with more potent analgesic medications, powerful pain relievers that can fully sedate patients.

Side Effects of Etomidate

While etomidate can be a useful anesthesia in particular cases, this medication does have some associated side effects, including:

• coughing
• drowsiness (which can persist for up to 24 hours following use of etomidate)
• fleeting pain in the veins
• hiccups
• muscle spasms
• vomiting

In rare cases, etomidate can cause severe allergic reactions. Injection-site inflammation, hives and facial swelling typically indicate that a person is severely allergic to etomidate.

Currently, etomidate is only available via prescription and can only legally be administered by a medical professional.

(Source: FDA)

Have you been harmed by a medication? If so, contact us today to talk to an experienced defective drug attorney who will provide you with the legal support you need to pursue your legal claim.