What does the term MAC stand for in pharmacology?

The term MAC stands for Minimal Alveolar Concentration. It is a critical concept in anesthesiology and pharmacology that refers to the lung concentration of an inhaled anesthetic at which 50% of patients do not respond to a surgical stimulus. This measurement is useful because it provides a standardized way to compare the potency of different anesthetic agents.

The lower the MAC value, the more potent the anesthetic, indicating that a smaller concentration is required to achieve the desired anesthetic effect. Understanding MAC is essential for practitioners to determine the appropriate dosages needed to achieve and maintain anesthesia in patients during surgical procedures.

In contrast, other options like Maximum anesthetic concentration or Mean arterial concentration do not accurately describe a recognized pharmacological term related to anesthetic potency, and Minimal analgesic concentration is not a standard term used to gauge the effectiveness of anesthetics in clinical practice.