Hepatic oxygen supply and consumption in rats exposed to thiopental, halothane, enflurane, and isoflurane in the presence of hypoxia.

Hepatic oxygen supply and uptake were assessed in phenobarbital-pretreated male Sprague-Dawley rats receiving subanesthetic doses of thiopental, halothane, enflurane, or isoflurane combined with hypoxia (approximately 0.5 MAC and 12% oxygen) for the purpose of evaluating the role of these combinations in hepatic blood flow alterations and the concomitant hepatic oxygen supply and uptake. Hepatic blood flow was measured using microspheres; hepatic oxygen supply and consumption was calculated from measured hepatic blood flow and oxygen content in hepatic arterial, portal venous, and hepatic venous blood. In all anesthetic groups, total hepatic blood flow did not change from the control value. Oxygen supply to the liver was decreased from air control values in all anesthetic groups, but there were no significant differences among anesthetic groups. Hepatic oxygen consumption was significantly lower in animals exposed to halothane and isoflurane versus air controls, whereas it was not significantly decreased in animals receiving thiopental or enflurane. The hepatic oxygen supply/consumption ratio was higher in the air control and the isoflurane groups than in other groups; however, no significant differences in this ratio were observed among the thiopental, halothane, and enflurane groups. Oxygen content in hepatic venous blood correlated well with hepatic oxygen supply/consumption ratio in all five groups. These results show that, during exposure to mild hypoxia, a sub-MAC dose of isoflurane maintains the relationship of hepatic oxygen supply to uptake better than thiopental, halothane, or enflurane. However, a subanesthetic dose of halothane did not aggravate liver hypoxia specifically, compared with thiopental or enflurane.