[Experience with sevofluorane and halothane used during general anesthesia in children]

The investigators made a prospective analysis of the specific features of anesthesias with sevoflurane and halothane in 70 children aged 1 to 11 years with systemic surgical diseases and assessed their physical status as ASA Class I. The anesthetics sevoflurane, 3.1 +/- 0.7 MAC, and halothane, 2.4 +/- 0.3 MAC, were used to induce anesthesia. Sevoflurane, 1.6 +/- 0.6 MAC, and halothane, 1.5 +/- 0.4 MAC, were employed to maintain anesthesia. In children, sevoflurane anesthesia induction and emergence occurred by 49% more rapidly (p < 0.001) than halothane use (the time of induction 2.9 +/- 0.7 min for sevoflurane versus 5.7 +/- 0.5 min for halothane; that of consciousness recovery 3.6 +/- 0.7 min versus 7.0 +/- 1.2 min). After halothane anesthesia anesthesia, there was a significant reduction in mean blood pressure (BP) by 24.5% as compared with the baseline values (p < 0.001). Sevoflurane use demonstrated a significantly less reduction in systolic BP--by 10.2% of the baseline value (p < 0.001). In both groups after induction, there was a decrease in tidal volume, but minute volume was insignificantly lower due to higher respiration rate. The level of blood oxygenation was stable (SpO2 97-99%) in both groups during all observational stages. No severe complications were recorded in both groups during anesthesia. However, mild or moderate complications were twice fewer in the sevoflurane group.