Editing Inhalational anesthetic (section)

==Hyperbaric anaesthesia==
Under [[Wiktionary:hyperbaric|hyperbaric]] conditions ([[pressure]]s above normal [[atmospheric pressure]]), other gases such as [[nitrogen]], and [[noble gas]]es such as [[argon]], [[krypton]], and xenon become anaesthetics. When inhaled at high [[partial pressure]]s (more than about 4 bar, encountered at depths below about 30 metres in [[scuba diving]]), nitrogen begins to act as an anaesthetic agent, causing [[nitrogen narcosis]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Fowler |first=B |author2=Ackles, KN |author3=Porlier, G  |title=Effects of inert gas narcosis on behavior—a critical review. |journal=Undersea Biomed. Res. |volume=12 |issue=4 |pages=369–402 |year=1985 |pmid=4082343 |url=http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/3019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081026040357/http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/3019 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=October 26, 2008 |access-date=2008-09-21}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |author1=Rogers, W. H. |author2=Moeller, G. |title=Effect of brief, repeated hyperbaric exposures on susceptibility to nitrogen narcosis |journal=Undersea Biomed. Res. |volume=16 |issue=3 |pages=227–32 |year=1989 |issn=0093-5387 |oclc=2068005 |pmid=2741255 |url=http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/2522 |access-date=2008-09-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090901020853/http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/2522 |archive-date=2009-09-01 |url-status=usurped }}</ref> However, the [[minimum alveolar concentration]] (MAC) for nitrogen is not achieved until pressures of about 20 to 30 atm (bar) are attained.<ref>{{Cite journal|url = http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/content/abstract/78/6/2241|doi = 10.1152/jappl.1995.78.6.2241|title = Nitrogen narcosis attenuates shivering thermogenesis|year = 1995|last1 = Mekjavic|first1 = I. B.|last2 = Savic|first2 = S. A.|last3 = Eiken|first3 = O.|journal = Journal of Applied Physiology|volume = 78|issue = 6|pages = 2241–2244|pmid = 7665424|access-date = 2010-11-08|archive-date = 2008-05-21|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080521160538/http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/content/abstract/78/6/2241|url-status = dead|url-access = subscription}}</ref> Argon is slightly more than twice as anaesthetic as nitrogen per unit of partial pressure (see [[Argox (breathing gas)|argox]]). Xenon however is a usable anaesthetic at 80% concentration and normal atmospheric pressure.<ref name="Burov1999">{{cite journal |author1=Burov, NE |author2=Kornienko, Liu |author3=Makeev, GN |author4=Potapov, VN |date=November–December 1999 |title=Clinical and experimental study of xenon anesthesia |journal=Anesteziol Reanimatol |issue=6 |pages=56–60 |pmid=11452771 |url=http://www.general-anaesthesia.com/xenon-anaesthesia.html |access-date=2008-11-03 }}</ref>