Volatile anesthetics give a false-positive reading in chemical agent monitors in the "H" mode.
Chemical agent monitors (CAMs) are routinely used by the armed forces and emergency response teams of many countries for the detection of the vesicant sulfur mustard (HD) and the G series of organophosphate nerve agents. Ambient operating room isoflurane levels were found to produce strong positive signals in the "H" mode when the CAM was used to monitor the efficacy of decontamination procedures during routine surgical procedures on HD-poisoned animals requiring up to 8 hours of general anesthesia. Subsequent testing showed that isoflurane, as well as desflurane, sevoflurane, halothane and methoxyflurane, produce two ionization peaks in the CAM response. One of these peaks is interpreted by the CAM processing software as HD, resulting in a CAM "H" mode bar response. No interference was encountered with isoflurane, desflurane, and sevoflurane when the CAM was set to the "G" mode, although extremely high (nonclinical) concentrations of halothane and methoxyflurane yielded a weakly positive bar response. These findings have potentially serious ramifications for the medical management of patients resulting from terrorist, military, or chemical agent decommissioning activity when concomitant chemical injuries are also possible.
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Therapy Group, Chemical Biological Defence Section, Defence Research Establishment Suffield, Box 4000, Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada T1A 8K6.
Verpy
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Conley
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Jacobson
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Sawyer
T W
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D000777:Anesthetics / Q000032:analysis*; D000818:Animals; D002619:Chemical Warfare Agents / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D009873:Operating Rooms; D013552:Swine
D000777:Anesthetics; D002619:Chemical Warfare Agents