Routine direct injection gas--liquid chromatographic procedure for the analysis of volatile halogenated anaesthetics in whole blood using a new external injection port.

This communication describes the design and construction of a new external injection port for the direct gas--liquid chromatographic analysis of volatile compounds in whole blood. Aliquots (4--40 microliter) of EDTA anti-coagulated blood containing the volatile compound and a weighed quantity of the internal standard, isobutanol, were injected into the disposable glass wool filter of the carrier gas stream directly onto the chromatographic column. Typical data are presented from chromatography performed with dual 6 ft. x 2 mm I.D. glass columns containing Chromosorb 101 programmed from 110--180 degrees at 6 degrees/min and the external injection port maintained at 180 degrees. The method eliminated the problems usually associated with direct injection methods and permitted the accurate analysis of halothane, methoxyflurane, diethyl ether and ethanol over the approximate range 1--100 mg%. Using this analytical procedure the distribution of halothane between the cells and plasma of human blood at 4 degrees was found to be 2.0 +/- 0.2.