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PEDIATRIC ANESTHESIA

The Hemodynamic Effects of Halothane and Isoflurane in Chick Embryo

Departments of Anesthesiology and Pediatrics, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Jacek A. Wojtczak, MD, PhD, Department of Anesthesiology, Box 604, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, 601 Elmwood Ave., Rochester, NY 14642.

The cardiovascular effects of volatile anesthetics in prenatal hearts are not well investigated. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the embryonic cardiovascular system is sensitive to an exposure to clinically relevant, equipotent concentrations of halothane and isoflurane. Stage 24 (4-day-old) chick embryos were exposed to 0.09 and 0.16 mM of halothane and 0.17 and 0.29 mM of isoflurane. Dorsal aortic blood velocity was measured with a pulsed-Doppler velocity meter. Halothane, but not isoflurane, caused a significant decrease in cardiac stroke volume and maximum acceleration of blood (dV/dt_max), an index of cardiac performance. This effect was reversible, and during washout, stroke volume and dV/dt_max increased above control levels. Embryonic heart rate was not affected by either drug. Chick and human embryos are similar during early stages of development; therefore, chick embryo may be a useful model to study the cardiovascular effects of anesthetics.

Implications: In equipotent, clinically relevant concentrations, halothane, but not isoflurane, markedly decreased aortic blood flow and cardiac performance measured with ultrasound techniques in chick embryos. Chick and human embryos are similar during early stages of development; therefore, chick embryo may be a useful model to study the cardiovascular effects of anesthetics.

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