Epinephrine induced arrhythmia during sevoflurane, isoflurane and halothane anaesthesia: an experimental study

The effect of sevoflurane, isoflurane and halothane on cardiac arrhythmias induced by injection of epinephrine into cats was studied. The arrhythmogenic doses of epinephrine determined in this comparative study were expressed by both infusion rate of epinephrine and the corresponding plasma level. The mean values of the arrhythmogenic doses of epinephrine and the corresponding plasma levels were 19.3 mu /kg and 275.7 ng/ml for sevoflurane, 8.7 mu/kg and 149.2 ng/ml for isoflurane and 1.68 mu/kg and 39.1 ng/ml for halothane, respectively. These results indicated that the arrhythmogenic doses of epinephrine during sevoflurane and isoflurane anesthesia were significantly higher than those during halothane anesthesia