British journal of anaesthesia
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Sevoflurane is widely used in anaesthetic protocols for patients undergoing surgical procedures. However, there are no reports on the influence of sepsis on minimum alveolar concentration of sevoflurane (MAC(SEV)) in animals or in humans. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that sepsis could alter the MAC(SEV) in a normotensive septic pig model. ⋯ Significant increases in mean artery pulmonary pressure, filling, epinephrine and vascular pulmonary resistances occurred in the sepsis group. MAC(SEV) for the saline group was 2.4% [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.1-2.55%] and the MAC(SEV) for the sepsis group was 1.35% (95% CI 1.2-1.45%, P<0.05). These data indicate that MAC(SEV) is significantly decreased in this normotensive septic pig model.