title: Temperature dependence of the potency of volatile general anesthetics: implications for in vitro experiments.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  When performing experiments at room temperature with volatile general anesthetics and in vitro mammalian preparations (such as isolated neurons), the question arises as to which concentrations of anesthetics are "clinically relevant." Different choices can lead to different interpretations of the anesthetic sensitivities of putative target sites.
  
  
  METHODS
  Published data on the temperature dependence of minimum alveolar concentration were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although gas-phase potencies of volatile anesthetics increase markedly with decreasing temperature, the corresponding aqueous-phase potencies are relatively constant. Changes in minimum alveolar concentration with temperature can be accounted for, on physical grounds, in terms of the temperature dependencies of anesthetics binding to their central nervous system target sites.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  When performing room-temperature in vitro experiments on simple mammalian preparations with a volatile anesthetic, the aqueous-phase (but not the gas- phase) minimum alveolar concentration calculated at normal body temperature is, to a first approximation, the appropriate choice for a clinically relevant anesthetic concentration. Recommended aqueous-phase minimum alveolar concentration values (in MM) for desflurane, enflurane, halothane, isoflurane, and sevoflurane have have been calculated.
authors.affiliation: Biophysics Section, The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: N P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Franks
authors.forename: W R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Lieb
mesh_terms: D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D000818:Animals; D004285:Dogs; D006801:Humans; D011650:Pulmonary Alveoli / Q000378:metabolism; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation