Nephrotoxic effect of methoxyflurane anesthesia. A case report

Abstract

A patient with normal preoperative hepatic and renal laboratory findings was exposed to relatively low concentrations of methoxyflurane during a routine anaesthetic procedure. For at least 12 postoperative days, the patient showed unusually high level of inorganic serum fluoride; his urinary excretion of fluoride and oxalic acid were also increased. However, he had no clinical signs of nephrotoxicity. This observation suggests that some patients with presumably normal renal function may have a low threshhold for the nephrotoxic effects of methoxyflurane.