The volatile anesthetics continue to be one of the most mysterious yet commonly used class of drugs in medical practice today. A prominent and troublesome side effect of volatile anesthetics is their ability to alter hemodynamics. This arises from two diverse but interrelated phenomena, depression of cardiac contractility and dilation of the vasculature. These effects of volatile anesthetics on cardiac and smooth muscle plus the action of volatile anesthetics on skeletal muscle in the malignant hyperthermic syndrome have led to concern about the interaction of volatile anesthetics (and other...