Intravenous techniques in ambulatory anesthesia.

The growing importance of ambulatory surgery during the past decade has led to the development of efficient anesthetic techniques in terms of quality and safety of anesthesia and recovery. In these challenging objectives, intravenous techniques have played an important role, as they provide safe, efficient, and cost-effective anesthesia in the ambulatory setting. Among the numerous intravenous drugs, propofol, with its fast and smooth onset of action, short duration of action, and low incidence of postoperative side effects appears to be the anesthetic of choice in this situation. The recent development of new techniques of administration (such as TCI, monitored anesthesia care, or patient-controlled sedation) and monitoring (such as the BIS and the availability of "hit and run" drugs such as remifentanil) will optimize intraoperative conditions and recovery, thus allowing faster home readiness in the ambulatory setting.