[Effects of sevoflurane on the area of the liver and spleen]

Abstract

Recently, there has been increased interest in the preservation of hepatic function during anaesthesia and surgery. In common with other halogenated volatile anaesthetics, sevoflurane causes dose-related cardiovascular depression, which suggests that the blood flow of various organ systems is affected. This paper summarises some of the published work dealing with sevoflurane and alterations of splanchnic and hepatic blood flow to date, mostly from animal studies. However, the experience with this substance in human studies is small as yet, and previously investigated animal models are too different to compare to humans. The effort should be encouraged to study this new volatile anaesthetic in human subjects; if a parallel to isoflurane can be drawn, the impact of both substances on the hepatic circulation should be quite small. In Germany, the introduction of sevoflurane into clinical practice should be a reason to proceed with clinical investigations of this type.