[The washout behavior of isoflurane following balanced anesthesia and its effect on postoperative oxygen supply]

Few studies have described the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of isoflurane (I) during the postoperative recovery room stay. In this study the influence of balanced anesthesia with I on the postoperative course was investigated by studying pulmonary washout of I and its effect on arterial oxygen saturation. METHODS. Following institutional approval and informed consent, 50 patients (ASA I and II) scheduled for lateral fenestration for intervertebral disc herniation participated; all had no previous record of cardiopulmonary problems. Induction of anesthesia was achieved with intravenous alcuronium 0.03 mg/kg, fentanyl 0.003 mg/kg, thiopental 5 mg/kg, and succinylcholine 1.5 mg/kg followed by alcuronium 0.09 mg/kg before changing to the prone position. Anesthesia was maintained with controlled ventilation in a rebreathing system (fresh gas flow FGF) = 3.01/min, FIO2 = 0.3 in N2O, plus 0.8 Vol.-% cIet = 1.3 MAC). Near the end of surgery I was discontinued and IGI was increased to 61/min O2 for 10 min. Patients then returned to breathing ambient air. Extubation was carried out as soon as a minimum tidal volume of 400 ml was obtained. End tidal I concentration (cIet; Vol.-%) was measured by infrared absorption (Normac, Datex) and O2 saturation by pulse oximetry (Biox III, Ohmeda). Datum point of the pulmonary I-washout curve was the mean end-tidal I concentration obtained 15 min before terminating I (cIAW). Effects of duration of anesthesia, Broca index, and amount of I administered (tidal volume x inspiratory I concentration x min; ml) on I-washout were assessed. A pulse-oximetric O2 saturation of less than 90% was regarded as hypoxygenation. RESULTS. Mean duration of anesthesia for both males and females was 85 +/- 25 min, mean Broca index 102 +/- 13. The amount of I administered with the inspiratory volume was 5.661 +/- 2.194 1 I (1.0 +/- 0.4 Vol.-%). Mean I-regression (Fig. 3) was 236 x 10(-5) Vol.-%/min (Figs. 1 and 3). Mean I-washout 60 min after extubation was 44.6 +/- 15.2% of the administered amount. Adequate spontaneous breathing began a mean of 17 min after the end of I exposure, corresponding to 20% cIet of washout. All patients were extubated after a mean of 22 min at a mean etI of 17% of washout. After extubation, pulse oximetry indicated hypoxygenation in 18 patients (= 36%) during 2 periods (Fig. 4): (1) at a mean cIet of 0.1 Vol.-% (= 15% of washout) after a mean of 8 min; and (2) at a mean cIet of 0.08 Vol.-% (= 12% of washout) a mean of 19 min following extubation. Further episodes of hypoxygenation occurred as much as 40 min post-extubation. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)