Anaesthesia affects outcome of sepsis in mice

To determine whether the survival curves and rates differ between a mutant strain of mice (C3H/HeJ: endotoxin-resistant) and an endotoxin-susceptible strain (C3H/HeN) when severe sepsis (caecal ligation and puncture: CLP) is performed with different anaesthetics (ketamine or varied exposure to halothane).

The CLP was performed under a randomly chosen anaesthetic method out of inhalation of halothane in oxygen (15 min, 2 hr, or 6 hr) (100, 120, and 103 mice respectively) or a single injection of ketamine im (127 mice) in paired fashion in eight-week-old male mice of each strain. The daily survival rates were compared between the two strains until the 10th day after CLP for each anaesthetic and among the four anaesthetic methods for each strain using multiple comparisons.

The C3H/HeJ had delayed death relative to the C3H/HeN with every anaesthetic method except a two hours halothane (P < 0.01 at day 1 and day 2-5 in halothane 15 min and 6 hr, P < 0.05 at day 4-6 in ketamine), however, the final survival rates for each method of anaesthesia were the same in the two strains. Regardless of the genetic susceptibility to endotoxin, short exposure to halothane resulted in the most rapid death compared with the other anaesthetic methods (P < 0.05), and two hours halothane showed the best survival.

Endotoxin susceptibility affected the septic course for each anaesthetic method, and the anaesthetic methods influenced the survival from sepsis in both strains.