Failure of enflurane and halothane anesthesia to inhibit lymphocyte transformation in volunteers

Changes in the peripheral blood leukocyte count and in the ability of lymphocytes to transform in response to phytohemagglutinin were studied in healthy volunteers undergoing prolonged enflurane or halothane anesthesia without coincident surgical operation. Anesthesia was associated with a modest leukocytosis that persisted into the first post-anesthesic day, primarily due to an influx of neutrophils into the circulation. There was no significant alteration, either during or following anesthesia, in the ability of the volunteers' lymphocytes to transform in response to phytohemagglutinin when compared with either preanesthetic values or unanesthetized controls. Depression of lymphocyte transformation does not appear to follow prolonged enflurane or halothane anesthesia in the absence of a surgical procedure.