[Changes in skin reactivity to phytohemagglutinin caused by general anesthesia]

Cellular immunity is studied by intradermal reaction to phytohaemagglutinin (four concentrations: 1, 2, 5 and 10 infinity g), the response to which at the 24th hour gives information concerning macrophage power and at the 48th hour the functional value of the T lymphocytes. Such a study was carried out in three groups of patients: 1st group (n = 20): general anaesthesia without surgery, duration less than 30 minutes; 2nd group (n = 10): general anaesthesia without surgery, duration greater than 2 hours; 3rd group (n = 20): general anaesthesia with surgical procedure, duration greater than 2 hours. In all groups, the results showed highly significant immune depression at the 24th hour, certainly linked to a depression of macrophage power. This depression persisted at the 48th hour, but less markedly and less significantly, which could not be interpreted as definite evidence of depression of the T lymphocytes. Surgery would not appear to have played any additional role to anaesthesia in this immune depression, nor did the duration of anaesthesia. In a 4th group (n = 10) treated with vitamin A and undergoing anaesthesia with surgery lasting for more than two hours, no immune depression was seen.