[Skin blood flow measured by laser Doppler flowmetry under enflurane anesthesia or modified neuroleptanesthesia...

In 18 patients for abdominal operations, the skin blood flow of the sole was measured with a laser Doppler flowmeter under general anesthesia. The deep body temperature was also measured. During the induction of anesthesia with thiopental, an elevation of the skin blood flow was observed. The elevation was due to administration of thiopental. After the induction, the elevation appeared to be more prolonged under nitrous-oxide and enflurane anesthesia than under diazepam or droperidol, with nitrous-oxide and fentanyl anesthesia. The persistent elevation was observed for 104 +/- 10 minutes under enflurane anesthesia in 10 patients, but the elevation was 71 +/- 7 minutes under modified neuroleptanesthesia in 8 patients. This difference might be associated with the peripheral vasodilatation by enflurane and the short peripheral vasodilatation by droperidol or diazepam. Increases of the skin blood flow correlated well with the changes of the deep temperature of the sole. These results indicate that the peripheral skin blood flow is different during long operation between enflurane anesthesia and modified neuroleptanesthesia and the laser Doppler flowmetry is a useful tool as a monitor of peripheral circulation and body temperature.