Lung protective properties of the volatile anesthetics

Excerpt

While intravenous and volatile anesthetics are both effective sedatives, providers may be able to take advantage of potential differences between their non-anesthetic properties when deciding the best regimen for their patient. For example, volatile agents may offer myocardial protection from ischemia–reperfusion injury, a theory supported by a recent meta-analysis showing that sevoflurane anesthesia for cardiac surgery was associated with significant reductions in postoperative troponin concentrations and superior postoperative cardiac function compared to total intravenous anesthesia [1]. Similar investigations have shown that volatile anesthetics also protect the central nervous, renal, and hepatic systems from inflammatory injury [2]. As the use of volatile agents gains popularity in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting, evidence suggesting that volatile anesthetics may also protect against inflammatory lung injury may provide insight into the potential additional benefit these agents can offer for the lung-injured patient. …