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BJA Advance Access published online on June 25, 2004
British Journal of Anaesthesia, doi:10.1093/bja/aeh186
© 2004 by The Board of Management and Trustees of the British Journal of Anaesthesia
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Accepted February 14, 2004

Short Communication

Nomogram to estimate age-related MAC

J. G. C. Lerou 1*

1 Radboud University Nijmegen, Department of Anaesthesia, Geert Grooteplein 10, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: j.lerou{at}anes.umcn.nl.


  Abstract

Background. In clinical practice it is difficult to estimate rapidly two important values: (i) the total age-corrected MAC multiple from measured end-expired concentrations of volatile agent and nitrous oxide; (ii) the end-expired concentration of volatile agent needed to obtain a given total MAC multiple. We have developed a nomogram to do this.

Methods. We used standard nomogram methods to construct one single nomogram covering wide ranges of age (1-100 yr) and MAC (0.1-1.8 MAC) for halothane, enflurane, isoflurane, sevoflurane, and desflurane, alone or in combination with various concentrations of nitrous oxide. The user only has to draw two straight lines to obtain the desired result.

Results. The nomogram is simple to use. End-expired concentrations of halothane 0.48%, enflurane 1.05%, isoflurane 0.75%, sevoflurane 1.18%, or desflurane 4.3% in the presence of nitrous oxide 50% will give 1.4 MAC in a patient of 75 yr vs 0.9 MAC in a 1-yr-old. A reverse example is: a total MAC of 1.3 when using sevoflurane and nitrous oxide 67% in oxygen, requires an end-expired sevoflurane concentration of 1.8% in a 3-yr-old whereas 0.55% is needed in a patient of 90 yr.

Conclusions. The nomogram gives accurate results if it covers a whole A4 sheet in landscape format and could be extended to apply to other agents, for example xenon.

Keywords: anaesthetics, gases; anaesthetics, volatile; potency, anaesthetic, MAC; potency, anaesthetic, age factors.
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