Question of the Day

Minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) is a measure of inhalant anesthetic potency. It is the minimum alveolar concentration of an anesthetic agent at which 50% of the population does not move in response to a noxious stimulus.

There are different MAC values such as MAC-awake, MAC-noise, or MAC-surgery (“surgical MAC”). Surgical MAC is 1.2 to 2 times MAC, and prevents movement in response to a surgical stimulus. Pre-emptive analgesia and premedication influence MAC requirements by lowering surgical MAC.