摘要：General anesthetics constitute some of the most important and widely-used therapeutic drugs in the pharmacotherapeutic armamentarium. They are routinely used effectively and with adequate precaution-safety throughout the world for a multitude of clinical applications, predominantly as adjunctive agents for surgical procedures. Nevertheless, they have potential adverse effects (such as a drop in b.ood pressure and the inhib.tion of steroid production), particularly in vulnerab.e populations such as the very young and the frail elderly. It would b. desirab.e therefore to have alternative agents that are just as efficacious, b.t have a b.tter safety profile in a b.oader spectrum of patients. Toward this end, an anesthetic b.sed on a unique chemical core (viz., an N-arylpyrrole derivative) has b.en reported in preclinical models to produce anesthetic effects without hemodynamic suppression. This lead could pave the way for new general anesthetics that are safer and easier to use.