Second gas effect of N2O on oxygen uptake.
OBJECTIVE
The concept of the second gas effect is well known, however, there have been no studies that showed the relationship between alveolar oxygen concentration and arterial oxygen tension (PaO2) after the inhalation of nitrous oxide (N2O) in humans. The purpose of this study was to examine the changes in both end-tidal oxygen fraction (F(ET)O2) and PaO2 after N2O inhalation in patients under general anesthesia.


METHODS
Fifteen patients scheduled for elective orthopedic surgery were enrolled in this study. Anesthesia was maintained with the continuous infusion of propofol and with nitrogen (N2) and oxygen (O2) (6 L x min(-1), F1O2, 0.33). In all patients, the lungs were ventilated with a Servo 900C ventilator equipped with a gas mixer for O2, N2O, and N2. After obtaining baseline data, N2 was replaced with N2O maintaining FIO2 constant at 0.33. The changes in fractional concentration of O2, N2O, and N2 were continuously measured using mass spectrometer in a breath-by-breath basis. PaO2 and hemodynamic data were obtained at 1, 5, 10, 30 and 60 min after the start of N2O inhalation.


RESULTS
Five minutes after N2O inhalation, F(ET)O2 increased from 0.27+/-0.01 to 0.31+/-0.02 (P<0.01) and PaO2 increased from 172.0+/-22.5 mm Hg to 201.0+/-10.3 mm Hg (P<0.01). These effects produced by N2O were observed for 30 min.


CONCLUSIONS
These results confirm the concept of second gas effect of N2O on oxygen uptake in humans and provide evidence that the PaO2 increase correlated with the increase in F(ET)O2 after N2O inhalation.
Nishikawa
K
K
Department of Anesthesiology, Gunma University School of Medicine, Maebashi, Japan. nishikaw@news.sb.gunma-u.ac.jp
Kunimoto
F
F
Isa
Y
Y
Miyoshi
S
S
Takahashi
K
K
Morita
T
T
Arii
H
H
Goto
F
F
D000328:Adult; D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009609:Nitrous Oxide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000187:drug effects*
D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation; D009609:Nitrous Oxide