The Effect of Surgery and Ether Anesthesia on Excretion of Biliary Copper by the Rat

Abstract

Biliary fistulas were created in rats under ether anesthesia. Biliary excretion of copper diminished after the first day. When the rats were reanesthetized with ether 1 to 4 days after the operation, more dramatic changes in biliary copper excretion occurred. If the second anesthetic was administered 1 to 2 days after the operation, biliary copper fell about one-half. The reduction was modest on the third day and 4 days after the operation biliary excretion of copper was little affected by ether anesthetization.