Coagulation assessment in healthy pigs undergoing single xenon anaesthesia and combinations with isoflurane and sevoflurane.
BACKGROUND
With the introduction of new anaesthetics into clinical practice possible side effects of these novel anaesthetics have to be evaluated. This study was performed to clarify whether xenon or combinations of xenon with isoflurane or sevoflurane modify blood coagulation.


METHODS
The study was performed in 20 healthy pigs which first underwent xenon anaesthesia (65 Vol%) and were then randomly assigned to combinations of xenon and isoflurane or sevoflurane at varying concentrations. During anaesthesia the following parameters were controlled: aPTT, PT, fibrinogen concentrations and thrombelastographic measurements.


RESULTS
Xenon monoanaesthesia did not alter significantly any coagulation parameter. When isoflurane was introduced the aPTT showed a significant increase while fibrinogen concentration decreased. The introduction of sevoflurane led also to a decrease in fibrinogen concentration, while the aPTT was unchanged. These decreases in fibrinogen concentration were not accompanied by reduced maximal clot strength or elevated fibrinolysis evaluated by thrombelastography. Although the above-described changes were statistically significant, none of the parameters throughout the experiment exceeded the limits of normal values.


CONCLUSIONS
In our study, xenon monoanaesthesia and combinations of xenon with isoflurane and sevoflurane did not lead to pathologic alterations in the measured coagulation parameters.
Horn
N A
NA
Department of Anaesthesiology, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen, Pauwelstrasse 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany. nhorn@post.klinikum.rwth-aachen.de
Hecker
K E
KE
Bongers
B
B
Baumert
H J
HJ
Reyle-Hahn
S M
SM
Rossaint
R
R
D000769:Anesthesia, Inhalation; D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation; D000818:Animals; D001777:Blood Coagulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D007530:Isoflurane; D008738:Methyl Ethers; D010979:Platelet Function Tests; D000077149:Sevoflurane; D013552:Swine; D013916:Thrombelastography; D014978:Xenon
D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation; D008738:Methyl Ethers; D000077149:Sevoflurane; D014978:Xenon; D007530:Isoflurane