PLASMA FREE FATTY ACID LEVELS DURING GENERAL ANAESTHESIA AND OPERATION IN MAN

Abstract

Plasma free fatty acid (FFA) levels were measured during general anaesthesia with ether, cyclopropane and nitrous oxide-halothane. Associated with cyclopropane was a twofold rise in FFA within the first hour of anaesthesia which could be prevented by prior beta-adrenergic blockade, or reversed by either glucose loading or beta blockade. A possible mechanism is sympathetic nervous activation. The elevated FFA may explain the decreased glucose tolerance during cyclopropane anaesthesia. During nitrous oxidehalothane anaesthesia a smaller, but significant, elevation in FFA level occurred, while with ether anaesthesia there was no significant change in FFA level. Explanations for these last two findings are not known.