Kidney function in living donors undergoing nephrectomy by sevoflurane or desflurane anesthesia

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Nephrology
• Transplantation

Background:

• Living kidney donors have a single remaining kidney, necessitating careful management of postoperative renal function.
• Volatile anesthetics are used in general anesthesia, but optimal agents for kidney donors are sought.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the renal function of living kidney donors after nephrectomy under sevoflurane versus desflurane anesthesia.
• To evaluate the safety and efficacy of these volatile anesthetics in preserving kidney function in a unique patient population.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study of 228 living kidney donors undergoing nephrectomy (2006-2011).
• Donors were grouped based on sevoflurane or desflurane anesthesia.
• Renal function assessed by serum creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) preoperatively and postoperatively.

Main Results:

• Renal function decline was most pronounced on postoperative day one in both groups.
• No statistically significant differences were observed in creatinine or eGFR changes between the sevoflurane and desflurane groups.
• Both anesthetics demonstrated comparable impacts on kidney function post-nephrectomy.

Conclusions:

• Sevoflurane and desflurane are safe and effective volatile anesthetics for living kidney donors undergoing nephrectomy.
• The choice between sevoflurane and desflurane does not appear to impact short-term postoperative renal function in this cohort.