CJA
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit a scholarly reply
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Rieder, J.
Right arrow Articles by Amann, A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Rieder, J.
Right arrow Articles by Amann, A.
Canadian Journal of Anesthesia 48:934 (2001)
© Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society, 2001

Correspondence

Exposure to sevoflurane in otorhinolaryngologic operations

Josef Rieder, MD, Philipp Lirk, Gabriele Summer, Andreas Gunkel, MD, Ursula Riccabona, MD, Petra Innerhofer, MD and Anton Amann, PhD

Innsbruck, Austria

To the Editor:

Exposure to trace anesthetic gases is not associated with considerable risks of adverse health effects. Nevertheless, efforts must be undertaken to maintain the high level of safety currently fostered by occupational exposure guidelines.1 Further, online control of ambient air exchange at the operating room (OR) may help in supervising air quality and lead to cost reduction.2 Ear-nose-throat (ENT) OR are especially prone to higher levels of contamination. However, to this date, only nitrous oxide, desflurane and isoflurane exposure in ENT OR have been measured3 even though the new inhalation anesthetic sevoflurane enjoys growing use in these OR.

A Proton-Transfer-Reaction Mass-Spectrometer system4 was used for online monitoring of volatile organic compounds, especially anesthetic gases in our ENT OR. The mean exposure to sevoflurane was 103.6 parts per billion (time-weighed average) over the working period. Sevoflurane concentrations were patient turnover-dependent during the 48-hr investigational period and shortlasting peaks were registered when sevoflurane was used during mask ventilation before intubation of the trachea (FigureGo).



View larger version (19K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
  		FIGURE

 
Since modern OR have a high ventilation capacity, the 24-hr occupational burden by anesthetic gases in the OR is, altogether, relatively low. Monitoring and control of ambient air quality by automatic systems would be useful to optimize ventilation in the work place environment. Moreover, energy costs of ventilation systems could be reduced by coupling ventilation capacity to the effective exposure.

References

1 McGregor DG, Senjem DH, Mazze RI. Trace nitrous oxide levels in the postanesthesia care unit. Anesth Analg 1999; 89: 472–5.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

2 Rieder J, Prazeller P, Boehler M, Lirk P, Lindinger W, Amann A. Online monitoring of air quality at the postanesthetic care unit by proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometry. Anesth Analg 2001; 92: 389–92.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

3 Byhahn C, Wilke HJ, Strouhal U, Kessler P, Lischke V, Westphal K. Occupational exposure to nitrous oxide and desflurane during ear-nose-throat-surgery. Can J Anesth 2000; 47: 984–8.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

4 Lindinger W, Hansel A, Jordan A. Proton-transfer-reaction mass-spectrometry (PTR-MS): on-line monitoring of volatile organic compounds at pptv levels. Chemical Society Reviews 1998; 27: 347–54.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Anesth. Analg.Home page
G. Summer, P. Lirk, K. Hoerauf, U. Riccabona, F. Bodrogi, H. Raifer, M. Deibl, J. Rieder, and W. Schobersberger
Sevoflurane in Exhaled Air of Operating Room Personnel
Anesth. Analg., October 1, 2003; 97(4): 1070 - 1073.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit a scholarly reply
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Rieder, J.
Right arrow Articles by Amann, A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Rieder, J.
Right arrow Articles by Amann, A.

HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS