Canadian Journal of Anesthesia, Vol 14, 340-357, Copyright © 1967 by Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society

A Retrospective Survey of the Use of Methoxyflurane at the Hotel-Dieu de Montreal from 1961 to 1964

¹ Department of Anaesthesia, Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal; University of Montreal
² Department of Pharmacology, University of Montreal

The present study is a retrospective survey of clinical use of methoxyflurane at Hôtel-Dieu of Montreal from 1961 to 1964. The study covers 5028 clinical anaesthesia cases.

The base of sampling has been stratified according to the various surgical specialties in which the charts have been distributed by alphabetical order. The sample is strictly random.

The objects of the study have been the type of methoxyflurane anaesthesia, the adjunctive medication in relation to age of patients, physical status, weight, and pathology, e.g. hypertension, anaemia, dehydration. Correlations have also been studied between weight of subjects and duration of awakening time, and between length of anaesthesia and duration of awakening.

Particular attention has been paid to the variation of the vital signs of pulse and blood pressure in relation to induction of anaesthesia and maintenance in general and in relation to age, physical status, hypertension, and haemoglobinaemia.

A special study was done of every fatality that occurred in this series where methoxyflurane could have been a specific cause.

The present survey established that methoxyflurane, in our hands and for the period of time reported, could not be incriminated per se in any fatality. Furthermore methoxyflurane has been found a safe and potent agent, suitable for clinical anaesthesia.