Solid-phase microextraction gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric method for the determination of inhalation anesthetics in urine

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) has been applied to the headspace sampli ng of inhalation anesthetics (i.e. nitrous oxide, isoflurane and halothane) in human urine. Analysis was carried out by gas chromatography-mass spectr ometry using a capillary column with a divinylbenzene porous polymeric stat ionary phase, A SPME divinylbenzene-Carboxen-polydimethylsiioxane coated fi ber, 2 cm long, was used, and its performances were compared with those of a Carboxen-PDMS in terms of sensitivity, extraction efficiency, extraction time, fiber coating-urine distribution coefficient. For both fibers, linear ity was established over four orders of magnitude, limits of detection were below 100 ng/l for nitrous oxide and below 30 ng/l for halogenated. Precis ion calculated as %RSD was within 3-13% for all intra- and inter-day determ inations. The method was applied to the quantitative analysis of anesthetic s in the urine of occupationally exposed people (operating room personnel). (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.