EFFECT OF NITROUS-OXIDE AND VOLATILE ANESTHETICS ON PLATELET-FUNCTIONIN MAN

Twelve otherwise healthy male volunteers scheduled for arthroscopy of the knee were studied. The influence in vivo of nitrous oxide (N2O) pe r se and the addition of a halogenated volatile anaesthetic (halothane or isoflurane) on ADP-induced platelet aggregation and release of bet a-thromboglobulin into plasma was evaluated. All measurements were mad e before surgery. We found that N2O increased platelet aggregation. Ad ding a halogenated anaesthetic reversed the relative hyperaggregation induced by N2O. The concentrations in plasma of the platelet release p roduct beta thromboglobulin were not influenced by the anaesthetics.