[Intravenous versus inhalation anesthetics in anesthesia for bone marrow harvest for transplantation]

It is well known that nitrous oxide and many volatile anaesthetic drugs possess a certain degree of myelodepressive activity. The authors' aim has been to evaluate the degree of proliferative activity after exposure to forane or propofol. Bone marrow samples have been cultured after general anaesthesia induced and maintained by the same agents; cultures have also been performed after samples exposure to forane and propofol. The results have not shown significative differences in the haemopoietic colonies growth of bone marrow harvested from patients underwent intravenous or inhalatory anaesthesia. In vitro study has shown a significative variation of the colonies growth at the forane higher concentration. Intravenous anaesthetic may be safer for bone marrow harvest for transplantation.