Altered Drug Metabolism in Anaesthetists Exposed to Volatile Anaesthetic Agents

Abstract

Antipyrine kinetics were measured on saliva in eight anaesthetists during a period when they were giving general anaesthetics and a period when they were working exclusively in intensive care. During the anaesthesia period there was a reduction in antipyrine half-life and the clearance of antipyrine increased. A nalysis of the data in groups failed to detect these changes because of the wide variation in metabolism between subjects. Exposure to anaesthetic agents under non-scavenging operating theatre conditions appears to enhance hepatic metabolism.

Induction of microsomal drug metabolism in man and in the rat by exposure to petroleum.

“…Changes in antipyrine elimination kinetics consistent with induced metabolism, however, have been detected in man after occupational exposure to chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides,3 polychlorinated biphenyls,4 and inhalational anaesthetics. 5 Petroleum is a complex mixture of a wide variety of lipophilic hydrocarbons, some of which may have the potential to induce mixed function oxidase activity. If this were the case enzyme induction might be detectable in workers occupationally ex-Requests for reprints to: Dr D B Frewin, Department of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5000 Received 2 January 1980 Accepted 21 March 1980 posed to petroleum.…”