SEVOFLURANE ANESTHESIA IN PEDIATRIC-PATIENTS - BETTER THAN HALOTHANE

Forty-two children (aged 2-16 years) were randomly assigned to receive either sevoflurane (n=21) or halothane (n=21) in nitrous oxide/oxygen . After premedication with midazolam, anaesthesia was induced by facem ask and the anaesthetic concentration was increased until loss of eyel ash reflex (sevoflurane, 6%; halothane, 2.5%). Thereafter, 1-1.5 MAC o f the inhalational agents were maintained until skin closure. Intra-op erative analgesia was provided either by intermittent intravenous (i.v .) bolus doses of fentanyl (2-3 mu g kg(-1)) or by a regional blockade . Induction was smooth and the time to loss of eyelash reflex was slig htly shorter with sevoflurane than with halothane, the difference not quite reaching statistical significance (P=0.06). In both groups, hear t rate remained stable and blood pressure decreased significantly duri ng induction. Haemodynamic parameters remained stable during anaesthet ic maintenance; no cardiac dysrhythmias were observed. Emergence time with sevoflurane was 12.9 min vs. 16.3 min with halothane, but this di fference was not statistically significant. It is concluded that sevof lurane is as suitable for paediatric patients as halothane. The slight ly faster emergence time offered by sevoflurane over halothane was of no clinical significance in the present study.