DETERMINATION OF THE HALOTHANE METABOLITES TRIFLUOROACETIC-ACID AND BROMIDE IN PLASMA AND URINE BY ION CHROMATOGRAPHY

Halothane (CF3CHClBr), a widely used volatile anesthetic, undergoes ex tensive biotransformation in humans. Oxidative halothane metabolism yi elds the stable metabolites trifluoroacetic acid and bromide which can be detected in plasma and urine. To date, analytical methodologies ha ve either required extensive sample preparation, or two separate analy tical procedures to determine plasma and urine concentrations of these analytes. A rapid and sensitive method utilizing high-performance liq uid chromatography-ion chromatography (HPLC-IC) with suppressed conduc tivity detection was developed for the simultaneous detection of both trifluoroacetic acid and bromide in plasma and urine. Sample preparati on required only ultrafiltration. Standard curves were linear (r(2) gr eater than or equal to 0.99) from 10 to 250 mu M trifluoroacetic acid and 2 to 5000 mu M bromide in plasma and 10 to 250 mu M trifluoroaceti c acid and 2 to 50 mu M bromide in urine. The assay was applied to qua ntification of trifluoroacetic acid and bromide in plasma and urine of a patient undergoing halothane anesthesia.