Pulmonary clearance of 99mTc-DTPA during halothane anaesthesia

We studied the integrity of the alveolo-capillary barrier during different forms of anaesthesia by measuring the pulmonary clearance of inhaled 99mTc-DTPA. We studied four groups of rabbits. Groups I and II were anaesthetized with nembuthal only and the fractional concentration of inspired oxygen (F1O2) was 0.30 and 1.00, respectively. Groups III and IV were anaesthetized with 1% halothane and F1O2 was 0.30 and 0.99, respectively. 99mTc-DTPA was administered as a fine aerosol and the clearance of the tracer from the lungs was subsequently measured with a gamma camera. The mean half-life of the tracer in the lungs in Groups I-IV was 60, 58, 59 and 26 min, respectively. The rapid pulmonary clearance of 99mTc-DTPA in Group IV indicates that halothane in combination with high oxygen concentration increases the permeability of the alveolo-capillary barrier. This may be due to effects on the pulmonary surfactant system and/or the alveolar epithelium.