clinical experiences with TRIFLUOROETHYL VINYL ETHER* ANESTHESIA

HE ANESTHESIOLOGIST interested in T trying a new drug for the first time will want to know three things: Is i t safe? Is i t efficient? Is i t appreciably better than similar compounds in use at the present time? Even if the answer to the first two questions is yes, the anesthesiologist may be reticent to procure and employ the new agent if i t offers few advantages over those in common use. Whereas safety and efficiency of a new drug must be demonstrated conclusively to the Food and Drug Administration .to secure permission to market in interstate commerce, superiority over other tried and proven agents may be a more difficult feature to demonstrate. The r ecen t introduction to the American m a r k e t of trifluoroethyl v inyl ether (Fluoromar@) will cause some anesthesiologists to pose these three questions. A review of our experiences and those of others already familiar w i t h t h i s compound may assist in answering at least the first two queries.