DESFLURANE DOES NOT PRODUCE HEPATIC OR RENAL INJURY IN HUMAN VOLUNTEERS

We examined the potential toxicity of desflurane in 13 young 25.0 +/- 2.3 (mean +/- SD) yr-old men, given 7.35 +/- 0.81 MAC-hours of desflur ane anesthesia. Hepatic and renal function tests, serum electrolytes, and standard urine and hematologic tests were performed before, during , and after anesthesia. No toxicity was found. There were no changes i n tests of hepatocellular integrity (plasma alanine transferase activi ty), synthetic function (serum albumin, prothrombin time, partial thro mboplastin time), or renal function (serum creatinine concentration, b lood urea nitrogen concentration). Decreases in red blood cell count, hematocrit, and blood hemoglobin concentration during and immediately after anesthesia were attributed to blood sampling and infusion of int ravenous electrolyte solution. These values returned by 4 days after a nesthesia to values not different from those before anesthesia. Increa sed white blood cell counts and blood glucose concentrations noted dur ing anesthesia with other inhaled anesthetics were also seen in these volunteers. Desflurane appears to have no greater toxicity than curren tly used inhaled anesthetics and, because of its lesser metabolism, ma y have lesser or no toxicity.