Abstract
Introduction
There is great concern about the possible harmful effects of exposure to volatile anesthetics. The current study aimed at evaluating, for the first time, the effects of occupational exposure to anesthetic gases on physicians who work in operating rooms, by determining several inflammatory cytokines.
Materials and methods
Plasma inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, -6, -8, -10, -12, TNF-α) were investigated in 30 individuals who were allocated into two groups of 15: the exposed group, consisting of operating room medical personnel exposed to a mixture of anesthetic gases for 3 years, and a control group composed of medical personnel not exposed to anesthetic gases. The concentrations of volatile anesthetics were measured in the operating room by means of an infrared portable analyzer
Results and conclusions
Our findings suggest an increase of the pro-inflammatory IL-8 (p < 0.05) in medical personnel exposed to high concentrations of anesthetic gases, even for a relatively short period.
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Acknowledgments
This study was supported by grant #2013/21130-0 and MMC was granted a scholarship #2013/13115-0, both from the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), Brazil.
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Responsible Editor: Mauro Teixeira.
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Chaoul, M.M., Braz, J.R.C., Lucio, L.M.C. et al. Does occupational exposure to anesthetic gases lead to increase of pro-inflammatory cytokines?. Inflamm. Res. 64, 939–942 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00011-015-0881-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00011-015-0881-2