Regional geographic demography

The most significant geographic differences relate to the incidence of the drugs as premedication and for induction of anaesthesia and the concentration of isoflurane used. Thus narcotic use in premedication was much more common in institutions in the NE and NC regions, whereas narcotic use at induction was more common in the South and in Canada. The effect of these different patterns of prescribing of narcotics had the effect of influencing the isoflurane concentration used. The use of anticholinergics showed a three-fold difference between the NC region and Canada, undoubtedly reflecting different approaches to the need for vagolytic action.