The effect of general and regional anesthesia on oxygen-dependent microbicidal mechanisms of polymorphonuclear leukocytes in children.

The microbicidal activity of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL) was investigated in two groups of children undergoing hernia repair surgery. Group 1, after short general halothane anesthesia, received caudal analgesia, whereas group 2 received halothane anesthesia alone. Both groups showed a decrease in singlet oxygen production as demonstrated using chemiluminescence method. However, 24 hours after the end of surgery singlet oxygen production was fully recovered in the caudal analgesia group (group 1), whereas in the general anesthesia group (group 2), production was still significantly (P less than 0.01) depressed. It is concluded that halothane may be associated with PMNL impairment, perhaps in a time-dependent manner.