Key result
Brief exposure to general anesthetics resulted in similar platelet aggregation across sampling periods in 10 of 12 subjects, showing no clinically important inhibition of platelet function.
Why the study?
Does brief exposure to general anesthetics (nitrous oxide, halothane, enflurane) inhibit platelet aggregation in patients undergoing elective operations?
Observational (n=12)
Does brief exposure to general anesthetics (nitrous oxide, halothane, enflurane) inhibit platelet aggregation in patients undergoing elective operations?
Brief exposure to general anesthetics (nitrous oxide, halothane, and enflurane) does not cause clinically important inhibition of platelet function.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Supports no clinically important platelet inhibition with brief exposure; hypothesis-generating pending larger randomized perioperative trials.
Because of evidence suggesting that volatile anesthetics interfere with platelet aggregation in vitro, platelet function was investigated in patients exposed to combinations of nitrous oxide, halothane, and enflurane during brief surgical procedures. In 12 patients undergoing elective operations, blood was sampled before anesthesia, after induction but prior to surgery, during surgery, and postoperatively. Platelet aggregation by ADP, epinephrine, and collagen was similar during each sampling period in all but two subjects in whom only minor changes were noted. During brief exposure to these general anesthetics, there appears to be no clinically important inhibition of platelet function.
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Lichtenfeld et al. (1979) conducted an observational in Elective operations (n=12). General anesthesia (nitrous oxide, halothane, and enflurane) vs. Baseline (before anesthesia) was evaluated on Platelet aggregation by ADP, epinephrine, and collagen. Brief exposure to general anesthetics resulted in similar platelet aggregation across sampling periods in 10 of 12 subjects, showing no clinically important inhibition of platelet function.
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