[Evaluation of sevoflurane, new anesthetic agent during pediatric cardiac catheterization]

General anaesthesia for cardiac catheterisation of children is a real challenge for anaesthetists. The recent commercialisation of sevoflurane, a new halogenated anaesthetic agent allowing induction by inhalation with an extremely rapid loss of consciousness and recovery with minimal cardiovascular effects, incited the authors to evaluate its use in this indication. Forty children aged 4 months to 10 years undergoing cardiac catheterisation were anaesthetised with a standardised protocol with sevoflurane. An anaesthetic state was obtained in 34 +/- 8 seconds with excellent tolerance, few and transient secondary effects. Changes in respiratory and haemodynamic status during catheterisation were only significant in 5 children with associated pulmonary disease and who developed desaturation requiring oxygen therapy. The recovery times were 6.3 +/- 2.1 minutes for ablation of the laryngeal mask, 7.1 +/- 3.5 minutes to the first cry and 8.4 +/- 3.8 minutes to opening of the eyes. All children were fit for discharge from the post-catheterisation observation ward after an average of 12.5 +/- 4.3 minutes. The most distressing secondary effect on recovery was headache, experienced by 4 children. Sevoflurane would seem to be particularly useful for general anaesthesia for diagnostic or interventional cardiac catheterisation of children.