OBJECTIVE: To observe the changes of auditory evoked potentials (AEP) index, mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) undergoing desflurane anesthesia in the elderly and to evaluate the use of AEP index for monitoring the depth of desflurane anesthesia in the elderly. METHODS: Forty patients classified as ASA physical status I-III undergoing general anesthesia were divided into 2 groups with 20 patients in each group: Group elderly (> or =65 years) and Group youth (18-55 years). Anesthesia was induced with propofol and vecuronium. After the endotracheal intubation, the lungs were ventilated with desflurane in oxygen. End-tidal concentration of desflurane was maintained at 0.6 MAC, 1.0 MAC and 1.3 MAC for 20 min, respectively. The changes of MAP, HR and AEP index were recorded simultaneously. RESULTS: During the anesthesia of desflurane, MAP decreased significantly compared with those at preanesthesia in both groups. And HR decreased significantly compared with those at preanesthesia only in Group elderly (P < 0.05). The changes of MAP and HR had no statistical difference with increasing end-tidal desflurane concentration from 0.6 MAC to 1.3 MAC in both groups (P > 0.05). During the anesthesia of desflurane, AEP index decreased significantly compared with those at preanesthesia in both groups (P < 0.05). In the periods of increasing concentration of desflurane, AEP index decreased gradually. In Group elderly, AEP index decreased significantly 1.0 MAC and 1.3 MAC of desflurane compared with those of 0.6 MAC (P < 0.05). In Group youth, the changes of AEP index had no statistical difference with increasing end-tidal desflurane concentration from 0. 6 MAC to 1.3 MAC (P > 0.05). At the same concentration of desflurane, AEP index in the Group elderly were less than those in Group youth (P < 0.05). AEP index correlated with the end-tidal desflurane concentration significantly. The coefficient of product-moment correlation (r) were -0.983 and -0.980, respectively in Group elderly and Group youth (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION AEP index correlates well with the end-tidal desflurane concentration which is valuable for monitoring the depth of desflurane anesthesia in the elderly. AEP index can show the different depth of anesthesia at the same end-tidal desflurane concentration between the elderly and youth.
Aged ; Anesthetics, Inhalation ; Desflurane ; Evoked Potentials, Auditory ; Female ; Humans ; Isoflurane ; analogs & derivatives ; Male ; Monitoring, Intraoperative ; methods

Anesthetics, Inhalation ; pharmacology ; Child ; Electrocardiography ; Heart Rate ; drug effects ; Humans ; Isoflurane ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology ; Methyl Ethers ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the values of bispectral index (BIS) in mornitoring the depth of desflurane anesthesia in the elderly by observing the changes of BIS at various end-tidal desflurane concentrations. METHODS: BIS was used to monitor the depth of desflurane anesthesia in the elderly without surgery stimulation. Forty ASA physical status I approximately III patients undergoing general anesthesia were divided into 2 groups with 20 in each group:Group Elderly ( > or =65 years) and Group Youth ( 18 approximately 55 years). Anesthesia was induced with propofol 2. 0 mg/kg and vecuronium 0. 1 mg/kg including the endotracheal topical anesthesia with 2% lidocaine. After the desflurane in oxygen, each concentration of desflurane was maintained for 20 minutes. The changes of mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR) and BIS were recorded simultaneously. The timepoints setting for observation were: preanesthesia, 2 minutes after the anesthesia, endotracheal intubation, 2 minutes after the intubation, and end-tidal concentration of desflurane at 0. 6 MAC, 1.0 MAC and 1. 3 MAC. RESULTS: During anesthesia of desflurane, MAP and HR did not change significantly in the 2 groups with increasing end-tidal desflurane concentration from 0. 6 MAC to 1. 3 MAC (P > 0.05). BIS decreased significantly than that at preanesthesia in the 2 groups during anesthesia of desflurane ( P < 0.05 ). The changes of BIS were different in the 2 groups during the whole anesthesia (P < 0.05). As the concentration of desflurane increased, BIS decreased gradually but there were no significant changes on BIS in the 2 groups ( P > 0. 05 ). In general, BIS highly correlated with the end-tidal desflurane concentration. The coefficient of product-moment correlation (r) between BIS and the end-tidal desflurane concentration was -0. 996 and -0. 946 in Group Elderly and Youth (P < 0. 05 ). CONCLUSION BIS highly correlates with the end-tidal desflurane concentration which is used to evaluate the depth of desflurane anesthesia in the elderly and youth. There is different depth of anesthesia by BIS in the elderly or youth at the same end-tidal desflurane concentration.
Age Factors ; Aged ; Anesthetics, Inhalation ; Desflurane ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Electroencephalography ; drug effects ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Isoflurane ; analogs & derivatives ; Male ; Monitoring, Intraoperative ; methods

Adult ; Anesthetics, Inhalation ; administration & dosage ; Desflurane ; Electroencephalography ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Isoflurane ; administration & dosage ; analogs & derivatives ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Monitoring, Intraoperative ; Nitrous Oxide ; administration & dosage

PURPOSE: Although there is no clinical evidence of nephrotoxicity with the volatile anesthetics currently used in general anesthesia, a better agent should be needed in terms of preserving postoperative renal function in living kidney donors who have only single remaining kidney. The purpose of the current retrospective, single-center study was to evaluate and compare renal function of living kidney donors after nephrectomy under either sevoflurane or desflurane anesthesia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2006 through December 2011, a total of 228 donors undergoing video assisted minilaparotomy surgery nephrectomy for kidney donation were retrospectively enrolled in the current study. The donors were categorized into a sevoflurane group or desflurane group based on the type of volatile anesthetic used. We collected laboratory data from the patients preoperatively, immediately after the operation, on the first postoperative day and on the third postoperative day. We also compared renal function of the kidney donors after donor nephrectomy by comparing creatinine level and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). RESULTS: The decrease in renal function after surgery in both groups was the most prominent on the first postoperative day. There were no significant differences between the two groups in postoperative changes of creatinine or eGFR. CONCLUSION: Sevoflurane and desflurane can be used safely as volatile anesthetics in donors undergoing nephrectomy.
Adult ; Anesthesia, General/methods ; Anesthetics, Inhalation/adverse effects/*therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Isoflurane/adverse effects/*analogs & derivatives/therapeutic use ; Kidney/*physiology ; Kidney Function Tests ; *Kidney Transplantation ; *Living Donors ; Male ; Methyl Ethers/adverse effects/*therapeutic use ; *Nephrectomy ; Postoperative Complications ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: In earlier analyses, desflurane has been shown to reduce average extubation time and the variability of extubation time by 20% to 25% relative to sevoflurane in adult patients. We undertook this study to determine which agents prompt less recovery time in pediatric patients undergoing minor surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After obtaining Institutional Review Board approval, we retrospectively reviewed the anesthesia records of 499 patients, with an average age of 5 years, who underwent minor surgeries at Severance Eye and Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital between May 2010 and April 2011. Anesthesia was induced with propofol and rocuronium. Anesthesia was maintained with sevoflurane (n=340) or desflurane (n=159) with 50% air/O2. Time from cessation of anesthetics to recovery of self-respiration, eye opening on verbal command and extubation were compared between the two groups. Additionally, the incidences of postoperative respiratory adverse events were also compared. RESULTS: Times to self-respiration recovery, eye opening on verbal command, and extubation were significantly faster in the desflurane group than the sevoflurane group (4.6+/-2.5 min vs. 6.9+/-3.8 min, 6.6+/-3.0 min vs. 9.2+/-3.6 min, and 6.2+/-2.7 min vs. 9.3+/-3.7 min, respectively, p<0.005). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups with respect to adverse respiratory events during the peri-operative period (38.2% vs. 34.6%, p=0.468). CONCLUSION: Emergence and recovery from anesthesia were significantly faster in the desflurane group of children undergoing minor surgery. Desflurane did not result in any differences in respiratory adverse events during recovery compared to sevoflurane.
*Anesthesia Recovery Period ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Isoflurane/adverse effects/*analogs & derivatives/therapeutic use ; Male ; Methyl Ethers/adverse effects/*therapeutic use ; Perioperative Period ; Surgical Procedures, Minor ; Time Factors

BACKGROUNDThe mechanisms of action for volatile anesthetics remain unknown for centuries partly owing to the insufficient or ineffective research models. We designed this study to develop three strains derived from a wild-type Drosophila melanogaster with different sensitivities to volatile anesthetics, which may ultimately facilitate molecular and genetic studies of the mechanism involved.

METHODSMedian effective doses (ED(50)) of sevoflurane in seven-day-old virgin female and male wild-type Drosophila melanogaster were determined. The sensitive males and females of percentile 6 - 10 were cultured for breeding sensitive offspring (S(1)). So did median ones of percentile 48 - 52 for breeding median offspring (M(1)), resistant ones of percentile 91 - 95 for breeding resistant offspring (R(1)). Process was repeated through 31 generations, in the 37th generation, S(37), M(37) and R(37) were used to determine ED(50) for enflurane, isoflurane, sevoflurane, desflurane, halothane, methoxyflurane, chloroform and trichloroethylene, then ED(50) values were correlated with minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) values in human.

RESULTSFrom a wild-type Drosophila melanogaster we were able to breed three strains with high, median and low sevoflurane requirements. The ratio of sevoflurane requirements of three strains were 1.20:1.00:0.53 for females and 1.22:1.00:0.72 for males. Strains sensitive, median and resistant to sevoflurane were also sensitive, median and resistant to other volatile anesthetics. For eight anesthetics, ED(50) values in three strains correlated directly with MAC values in human.

CONCLUSIONSThree Drosophila melanogaster strains with high, median and low sensitivity to volatile anesthetics, but with same hereditary background were developed. The ED(50) are directly correlated with MAC in human for eight volatile anesthetics.

Anesthetics, Inhalation ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Chloroform ; pharmacology ; Drosophila melanogaster ; drug effects ; growth & development ; Enflurane ; pharmacology ; Female ; Halothane ; pharmacology ; Isoflurane ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology ; Male ; Methoxyflurane ; pharmacology ; Methyl Ethers ; pharmacology ; Trichloroethylene ; pharmacology

PURPOSE: We evaluated the incidence and risk factors of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in patients with fentanyl-based intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV-PCA) and single antiemetic prophylaxis of 5-hydroxytryptamine type 3 (5 HT3)-receptor antagonist after the general anesthesia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, incidence and risk factors for PONV were evaluated with fentanyl IV-PCA during postoperative 48 hours after various surgeries. RESULTS: Four hundred-forty patients (23%) of 1878 had showed PONV. PCA was discontinued temporarily in 268 patients (14%), mostly due to PONV (88% of 268 patients). In multivariate analysis, female, non-smoker, history of motion sickness or PONV, long duration of anesthesia (>180 min), use of desflurane and intraoperative remifentanil infusion were independent risk factors for PONV. If one, two, three, four, five, or six of these risk factors were present, the incidences of PONV were 18%, 19%, 22%, 31%, 42%, or 50%. Laparoscopic surgery and higher dose of fentanyl were not risk factors for PONV. CONCLUSION: Despite antiemetic prophylaxis with 5 HT3-receptor antagonist, 23% of patients with fentanyl-based IV-PCA after general anesthesia showed PONV. Long duration of anesthesia and use of desflurane were identified as risk factors, in addition to risk factors of Apfel's score (female, non-smoker, history of motion sickness or PONV). Also, intraoperative remifentanil infusion was risk factor independent of postoperative opioid use. As the incidence of PONV was up to 50% according to the number of risk factors, risk-adapted, multimodal or combination therapy should be applied.
Adult ; Aged ; Analgesia, Patient-Controlled/*adverse effects ; Analgesics, Opioid/*adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Antiemetics/administration & dosage/therapeutic use ; Female ; Fentanyl/*adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Humans ; Incidence ; Isoflurane/adverse effects/*analogs & derivatives/therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Piperidines/*adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting/chemically induced/*epidemiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors

PURPOSE: Despite the fact that desflurane prolongs the QTC interval in humans, little is known about the mechanisms that underlie these actions. We investigated the effects of desflurane on action potential (AP) duration and underlying electrophysiological mechanisms in rat ventricular myocytes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rat ventricular myocytes were enzymatically isolated and studied at room temperature. AP was measured using a current clamp technique. The effects of 6% (0.78 mM) and 12% (1.23 mM) desflurane on transient outward K+ current (I(to)), sustained outward current (I(sus)), inward rectifier K+ current (I(KI)), and L-type Ca2+ current were determined using a whole cell voltage clamp. RESULTS: Desflurane prolonged AP duration, while the amplitude and resting membrane potential remained unchanged. Desflurane at 0.78 mM and 1.23 mM significantly reduced the peak I(to) by 20+/-8% and 32+/-7%, respectively, at +60 mV. Desflurane (1.23 mM) shifted the steady-state inactivation curve in a hyperpolarizing direction and accelerated inactivation of the current. While desflurane (1.23 mM) had no effects on I(sus) and I(KI), it reduced the L-type Ca2+ current by 40+/-6% (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Clinically relevant concentrations of desflurane appear to prolong AP duration by suppressing Ito in rat ventricular myocytes.
Action Potentials/*drug effects ; Anesthetics, Inhalation/*pharmacology ; Animals ; Calcium Channels, L-Type/physiology ; Heart Conduction System/drug effects/physiology ; Heart Ventricles/drug effects ; Isoflurane/*analogs & derivatives/pharmacology ; Myocardial Contraction/*drug effects/physiology ; Myocytes, Cardiac/*drug effects/physiology ; Patch-Clamp Techniques ; Potassium Channels/physiology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

PURPOSE: This study aims to investigate the most appropriate effect-site concentration of remifentanil to minimize cardiovascular changes during inhalation of high concentration desflurane. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-nine American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status class I patients aged 20-65 years were randomly allocated into one of three groups. Anesthesia was induced with etomidate and rocuronium. Remifentanil was infused at effect-site concentrations of 2, 4 and 6 ng/mL in groups R2, R4 and R6, respectively. After target concentrations of remifentanil were reached, desflurane was inhaled to maintain the end-tidal concentration of 1.7 minimum alveolar concentrations for 5 minutes (over-pressure paradigm). The systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR) and end-tidal concentration of desflurane were measured for 5 minutes. RESULTS: The end-tidal concentration of desflurane increased similarly in all groups. The SBP, DBP, MAP and HR within group R4 were not significantly different as compared with baseline values. However, measured parameters within group R2 increased significantly 1-3 minutes after desflurane inhalation. The MAP within group R6 decreased significantly at 1, 2, 4, and 5 minutes (p<0.05). There were significant differences in SBP, DBP, MAP and HR among the three groups 1-3 minutes after inhalation (p<0.05). The incidence of side effects such as hyper- or hypo-tension, and tachy- or brady-cardia in group R4 was 4.8% compared with 21.8% in group R2 and 15.0% in group R6. CONCLUSION: The most appropriate effect-site concentration of remifentanil for blunting hemodynamic responses by inhalation of high concentration desflurane is 4 ng/mL.
Adult ; Aged ; Androstanols/adverse effects/pharmacology ; Anesthetics/adverse effects/pharmacology ; Anesthetics, Inhalation/adverse effects/*pharmacology ; Blood Pressure/drug effects ; Etomidate/adverse effects/pharmacology ; Female ; Heart/*drug effects ; Heart Rate/drug effects ; Humans ; Isoflurane/adverse effects/*analogs & derivatives/pharmacology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Piperidines/adverse effects/*therapeutic use ; Protective Agents/adverse effects/*therapeutic use