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Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Recording Brain Electromagnetic Activity During the Administration of the Gaseous Anesthetic Agents Xenon and Nitrous Oxide in Healthy Volunteers
Published on: January 13, 2018
Effect of nitrous oxide and volatile anaesthetics on platelet function in man
E Nygård1, O Naesh, I Hindberg
1Department of Anaesthesia, Gentofte Hospital, Denmark.
Abstract:
Twelve otherwise healthy male volunteers scheduled for arthroscopy of the knee were studied. The influence in vivo of nitrous oxide (N2O) per se and the addition of a halogenated volatile anaesthetic (halothane or isoflurane) on ADP-induced platelet aggregation and release of beta-thromboglobulin into plasma was evaluated. All measurements were made before surgery. We found that N2O increased platelet aggregation. Adding a halogenated anaesthetic reversed the relative hyperaggregation induced by N2O. The concentrations in plasma of the platelet release product beta thromboglobulin were not influenced by the anaesthetics.
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