Genotoxicity of Enflurane in Human Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes Studied in vivo by Single Cell Gel Electrophoresis / 대한마취과학회지

BACKGROUND: The alkaline single cell gel electrophoresis comet assay was applied to study the genotoxic properties of enflurane on the human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) of cancer patients before and during anesthesia as compared to an non-cancer control group. Method: The cancer group consisted of 24 patients (aged 15-77 years), while the control group consisted of 14 trauma individuals (aged 20-81 years). After anesthesia induction (thiopental 4 mg/kg and vecuronium 0.1 mg/kg), it was maintained by enflurane inhalation; 1-2 minimal alveolar concentration in oxygen - nitrous oxide mixture. Venous blood samples were obtained before the induction of anesthesia, and after 60 and 120 min of anesthesia. The comet assay detects DNA damage, such as strand breaks and alkaline labile sites induced directly by genotoxic agents, and DNA degradation due to cell death. Fifty cells from each sample were examined and Olive tail moments (OTM) were calculated using Komet 4TM software. RESULTS: OTM values were no different between controls and patients before anesthesia. However, the OTMs of blood sampled from cancer patients at 60 (7.97 +/- 1.83) and 120 min (7.86 +/- 2.05), and from trauma patients at 120 min (8.04 +/- 1.32) of anesthesia were significantly increased. CONCLUSIONS: In immunocompromised cancer patients, we suggest the existence of a higher risk of an association DNA damage and enflurane exposure.

Pulmonary Embolism Detected in the General Ward after Operation: A Case Report / 대한구급학회지

Pulmonary embolism is a common medical complication following major orthopedic procedures of the lower extremities and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. However, the clinical manifestations of pulmonary embolism are nonspecific and it may be difficult to diagnose. An 82 years old female with severe restrictive pulmonary disease received the elective operation for the fracture of left femur neck under combined spinal-epidural anesthesia. During the operation, we sometimes gave her oxygen via face mask and maintained oxygen saturation of more than 80% which was measured by a pulse oxymeter. The operation and anesthesia was performed uneventfully. On the seventh postoperative day, she showed tachycardia suddenly and cardiac arrest later on the electrocardiogram. After cardiopulmonary resuscitation, she was transferred to intensive care unit and checked by a computed tomography and echocardiography. She was diagnosed with pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis and treated with heparin and urokinase. But she did not improve and died.