Desflurane versus isoflurane in patients with chronic hepatic and renal disease

Forty patients with chronic hepatic (n = 20) and renal (n = 20) disease were studied randomly for the purpose of evaluating safety and laboratory values. These included alanine and aspartate aminotransferases, alkaline phosphatase, total bilirubin, creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen. Patients with hepatic disease received either desflurane (n = 9) or isoflurane (n = 11) and patients with renal disease received the two anesthetics in equal subsets. In the patients with hepatic and renal disease, there were no differences in laboratory values (P < 0.05). We conclude that, in patients with either hepatic or renal disease, laboratory values from pre- to postoperative state did not change significantly within 24 h of anesthesia, and no differences in these changes existed between desflurane or isoflurane.