Does sodium pentobarbital anesthesia compromise phagocytosis of E coli in vitro?

Recent reports have suggested that anesthesia may weaken host defense mechanisms during shock and depress the activities of circulating leukocytes. The purpose of this study was to assay the effects of sodium pentobarbital anesthesia on glucose uptake and survival of leukocytes, and mortality of E coli organisms in vitro. In vitro experiments were performed on canine blood before and after the in vivo administration of anesthesia and the in vitro addition of E coli. Glucose uptake in vitro increased equally in blood obtained from either awake or anesthetized dogs following incubation with organisms. Live organism concentrations were similarly reduced before and after anesthesia during a two hour in vitro incubation period. Total neutrophil numbers fell equally after two hours of incubation with or without anesthesia, due to the presence of E coli. These data support the view that a surgical level of anesthesia is not deleterious to circulating phagocytes during E coli-induced shock.