SEVOFLURANE IS EQUIVALENT TO ISOFLURANE FOR ATTENUATING BUPIVACAINE-INDUCED ARRHYTHMIAS AND SEIZURES IN RATS

The effects of sevoflurane on bupivacaine toxicity have not been defin ed. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of sevofl urane and isoflurane on bupivacaine-induced arrhythmias and seizures i n rats. Thirty-seven Sprague-Dawley rats received bupivacaine intraven ously at a constant rate of 2 mg . kg(-1). min(-1) until both arrhythm ias and seizures occurred while electrocardiogram (ECG) and electroenc ephalogram (EEG) recordings were made. The cumulative doses of bupivac aine inducing arrhythmias and seizures were determined in the presence of 1 minimum alveolar anesthetic concentration (MAC) of sevoflurane ( sevoflurane group, n = 14) or isoflurane (isoflurane group, n = 10) an d in the absence of anesthetic (control group, n = 13). The cumulative doses of bupivacaine inducing arrhythmias and seizures were larger in the sevoflurane and isoflurane groups than in the control group and w ere similar in the sevoflurane and isoflurane groups. These results in dicate that sevoflurane and isoflurane attenuate bupivacaine-induced a rrhythmias and seizures in rats.