Summary
Plasma catecholamine levels were studied during general anaesthesia with diethyl ether, cyclopropane, and halothane in dogs and human subjects. Anaesthesia with ether/oxygen caused highly significant increases in plasma noradrenaline in dogs and man. The response was less marked in man, but a significant direct correlation could be established (in a small number of patients) between the rise in plasma noradrenaline and blood ether concentrations during ether anaesthesia without surgical interference. Plasma adrenaline was also significantly increased in dogs during ether anaesthesia, and in man to a lesser extent; highly significant rises were measured during surgery in man. The severe metabolic acidosis induced by diethyl ether in the dog bore a direct relationship to circulating catecholamine concentration and was greatly reduced by bilateral adrenalectomy. A mild but definite metabolic acidosis was measured during nitrous oxide/ oxygen/ether and ether/oxygen anaesthesia in man. In adrenalectomized dogs, variable moderate rises in plasma noradrenaline were measured during ether anaesthesia, from which it is inferred that in this species the rise in plasma noradrenaline stems partly from extra-adrenal areas. Since hypercarbia superimposed on ether anaesthesia in adrenalectomized dogs caused further increases in plasma noradrenaline, it is considered that the extra-adrenal sympathetic excitation induced by ether is submaximal.
Cyclopropane anaesthesia in dogs with normal pCO2 was accompanied by very small increases in plasma adrenaline, probably accounted for by blood sampling. In man, cyclopropane anaesthesia was associated with a significant increase in total plasma catecholamine concentration, with definite rises in plasma noradrenaline in certain patients at both normal and raised levels of arterial pCO2, the increases at normal pCO2 becoming significant statistically only as a result of deeper anaesthesia, because of an effect of surgery, or both.
Halothane did not produce significant increases in plasma catecholamine concentration in dogs or man, although plasma adrenaline was significantly increased during surface surgery under halothane anaesthesia in man.
Elevated plasma catecholamine levels as a result of haemorrhage during ether anaesthesia, hypercarbia and asphyxia during cyclopropane anaesthesia. and hypercarbia during ether anaesthesia in adrenalectomized dogs, together with studies previously reported, indicated that the currently used general anaesthetic agents do not have any major “dampening” effect on the sympathoadrenal responses to the common forms of stimulation encountered in the operating room.
Résumé
Nous avons étudié chez des chiens et chez des humains, au cours de ľanesthésie générale à ľéther, au cyclopropane et à ľhalothane, les variations du taux de catécholamine dans le plasma. Ľanesthésie à ľéther et oxygène a entraîné une augmentation importante du taux de noradrénaline dans le plasma aussi bien chez les chiens que chez ľhomme. Chez ľhomme, la réponse était moins marquée, mais on a pu établir une corrélation directe (chez un petit nombre de malades) entre ľaugmentation du taux de noradrénaline dans le plasma et la concentration du sang en éther au cours de ľanesthésie à ’éther sans chirurgie. Le taux ďadrénaline dans le plasma était également augmenté de façon importante chez lea chiens au cours de ľanesthésie à ľéther, mais chez ľhomme, à un degré moindre; au cours de la chirurgie on a également observé des augmentations considérables. Ľacidose métabolique marquée produite par ľéther chez le chien est directement proportionnelle au taux de catécholamine circulant, et elle a été considérablement réduite par la surrénalectomie bilatérale. Nous avons également dépisté, chez ľhomme, au cours de ľanesthésie au protoxide/oxygène/éther, et au cours de ľanesthésie à ľéther/oxygène, une acidose légère mais positive.
Chez les chiens surrénalectomisés, nous avons observé une augmentation légère et variable du taux ďadrénaline dans le plasma, au cours de ľanesthésiç à ľéther, ce qui nous incite à croire que, chez cet animal du moins, ľaugmentation du taux ďadrénaline dans le plasma provient, en partie, ďendroits autres que; la surrénale. Etant donné que si ľon ajoute ľhypertcarbie à Ľanesthésie à ľéther, chez des chiens surrénalectomisés, ľon observe une augmentation additionnelle; du taux de noradrénaline dans le plasma, Ton est porté à croire que ľexcitation sympathique extrasurrénalienne produite par ľéthér est une excitation probables ment submaximale.
Au cours de ľanesthésie au cyclopropane, chez dès chliens conservant un P CO2 normal, ľon a constaté de légères augmentations du taux ďadrénaline dans 1e plasma, occasionnées probablement par ľéchantillohnàge du sang. Chez ľhomme^ ľanesthésie au cyclopropane s’est accompagnée ďune augmentation importante du taux de catécholamine dans le plasma et, chez certains malades dont le P CO2 était normal et chez ďautres dont le P CO2 était élçvé, a’une augmentation nette du taux de noradrénaline dans le plasma. Ces augmentations, lorsque le P CO2 était normal, prenaient une valeur statistique appréciable, si on leur attribut comme cause, soit une anesthésie plus profonde, soit un effet de la chirurgie, soit les deux effets ensemble.
En ce qui concerne Ľhalothane, aussi bien chez les Ichiens que chez ľhomme nous n’avons pas observé, au cours de ľanesthésie, ďaugmentation importante du taux de catécholamine dans le plasma, bien que all cours de la chirurgie de surface chez ľhomme anesthésié à ľhalothane, nous atvons trouvé une augment tation importante du taux ďadrénaline dans le plasma.
Les taux élevés de catécholamine dans le plasma, (résultant de ľhémorragie durant ľanesthésie à ľéther, ľhypercarbie et ľasphyxie durant ľanesthésie au cyclopropane, ľhypercarbie durant ľanesthésie à ľéther chez des chiens surrénalectomisés, les études citées antérieurement, tout indique que les agents anesthésiques généraux n’exercent pas ďeffets inhibiteurs marqués sur les réponses sympathicosurrénaliennes aux diverses formes de stimulation subiejs dans les salles ďopération.
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Awarded British Oxygen Canada Prize 1961.
Sir Edward W. Beatty Memorial Scholar.
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Millar, R.A., Morris, M.E. Sympatho-adrenal responses during general anaesthesia in the dog and man. Can. Anaes. Soc. J. 8, 356–386 (1961). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03021356
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03021356