American journal of therapeutics
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Review Case Reports
Sevoflurane hepatotoxicity: a case report of sevoflurane hepatic necrosis and review of the literature.
Sevoflurane, a halogenated anesthetic, is associated with mild aminotransferase elevations but does not tend to cause clinically significant hepatotoxicity. We report a rare case of severe hepatic necrosis following exposure to sevoflurane during surgery. A 37-year-old man presented with nausea,vomiting, abdominal pain, and jaundice on the third postoperative day after an abdominal wall mass resection. ⋯ The patient was likely susceptible to toxicity due to an underlying EBV infection and a probable history of exposure to halogenated anesthetics. Sevoflurane is generally considered to be relatively safe for subjects with mild liver dysfunction, in comparison with other halogenated anesthetics. However, this case suggests that sevoflurane can lead to severe life-threatening hepatic necrosis in at-risk individuals.