A comparison of the cardiovascular effects of enflurane, halothane, methoxyflurane and fluroxene during open cardiac surgery.

During open heart surgery hemodynamic changes due to 1.5% enflurane, 0.75% halothane, 0.18% methoxyflurane and 3.4% fluroxene have been compared. The following parameters have been measured: arterial pressure, heart rate, cardiac output, right and left atrial pressure, left ventricular pressure and dp/dt. The strongest effects were found with enflurane and halothane. Marked reduction in cardiac index, stroke index, left ventricular dp/dt as well as reduction of peripheral resistance caused severe systemic hypotension. Because of its slow uptake methoxyflurane was followed by small hemodynamic changes in this study. The rapid acting fluroxene had caused only minor reductions of cardiac output, stroke volume and dp/dt. There was no decrease in peripheral resistance.