BJA Advance Access published online on April 19, 2008
British Journal of Anaesthesia, doi:10.1093/bja/aen089
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lipophilic β-adrenoceptor antagonist propranolol increases the hypnotic and anti-nociceptive effects of isoflurane in a swine model
Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Japan
* Corresponding author. E-mail: tadkur{at}hama-med.ac.jp
Background: We have previously reported that landiolol, an ultra-short-acting β1-adrenoceptor antagonist, does not alter the anaesthetic effects of isoflurane. Here, we investigated the influence of propranolol on the electroencephalographic (EEG) effects and minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of isoflurane.
Methods: Fourteen swine [25.0 (SD 4.0) kg] were anaesthetized by isoflurane inhalation. The inhalation concentration was decreased to 0.5% and maintained for 25 min, before being returned to 2%, and maintained for a further 25 min. End-tidal isoflurane concentrations and spectral edge frequencies were recorded. Pharmacodynamic analysis was performed using a sigmoidal inhibitory maximal effect model for spectral edge frequency vs effect-site concentration. After measurement of the EEG effect, MAC was determined using the dew-claw clamp technique, in which movement in response to clamping is recorded. After completion of control measurements, a propranolol 4 mg bolus followed by an infusion (2 mg h–1) was started. After a 30 min stabilization period, the inhalation concentration of isoflurane was varied as in the control period and MAC was re-assessed.
Results: Propranolol shifted the concentration–effect relationship to the left and decreased the effect–site concentration that produced 50% of the maximal effect from 1.30 (0.18) to 1.13 (0.17)%. Propranolol also decreased isoflurane MAC from 1.91 (0.35) to 1.54 (0.32)%.
Conclusions: Propranolol alters both the hypnotic and anti-nociceptive effects of isoflurane. In contrast to landiolol, lipophilic β-adrenoceptor antagonists may increase the potency of inhalational anaesthetics.
Keywords: anaesthesia, depth; anaesthetics volatile, isoflurane; potency, anaesthetic, inhalational; potency, anaesthetic, MAC; sympathetic nervous system, propranolol