Sevoflurane is equivalent to isoflurane for attenuating bupivacaine-induced arrhythmias and seizures in rats.

The effects of sevoflurane on bupivacaine toxicity have not been defined. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of sevoflurane and isoflurane on bupivacaine-induced arrhythmias and seizures in rats. Thirty-seven Sprague-Dawley rats received bupivacaine intravenously at a constant rate of 2 mg.kg-1.min-1 until both arrhythmias and seizures occurred while electrocardiogram (ECG) and electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings were made. The cumulative doses of bupivacaine inducing arrhythmias and seizures were determined in the presence of 1 minimum alveolar anesthetic concentration (MAC) of sevoflurane (sevoflurane group, n = 14) or isoflurane (isoflurane group, n = 10) and in the absence of anesthetic (control group, n = 13). The cumulative doses of bupivacaine inducing arrhythmias and seizures were larger in the sevoflurane and isoflurane groups than in the control group and were similar in the sevoflurane and isoflurane groups. These results indicate that sevoflurane and isoflurane attenuate bupivacaine-induced arrhythmias and seizures in rats.