The effect of xenon on isoflurane protection against experimental myocardial infarction.

Objectives: To investigate if the protective effects of xenon and isoflurane against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion damage would be additive.

Design: A prospective, randomized laboratory investigation.

Setting: An animal laboratory of a university hospital.

The effect of xenon anesthesia on the size of experimental myocardial infarction.

Background: Volatile anesthetics protect the myocardium from ischemia reperfusion damage. Our hypothesis for this study was that xenon reduces the size of myocardial infarction similar in extent to the reduction associated with ischemic preconditioning.

Methods: Thirty-six pigs weighing 30-35 kg were anesthetized with thiopental and then randomized into four groups: control (myocardial ischemia only), ischemic preconditioning (five 5-min episodes of intermittent myocardial ischemia), xenon preconditioning (three 10-min exposures to xenon 70% followed by myocardial ischemia), and xenon anesthesia (xenon 70%, continued before and after myocardial ischemia).

Phosphodiesterase III inhibition affects platelet-monocyte aggregate formation depending on the axis of stimulation.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the phosphodiesterase (PDE) type 3 inhibitor milrinone on the adhesion of platelets to monocytes in vitro.

Design: Prospective study.

Setting: University experimental laboratory.

Epinephrine enhances platelet-neutrophil adhesion in whole blood in vitro.

Previous studies showed that alpha- or beta-adrenoceptor stimulation by catecholamines influenced neutrophil function, cytokine liberation, and platelet aggregability. We investigated whether adrenergic stimulation with epinephrine also alters platelet-neutrophil adhesion. This might be of specific interest in the critically ill, because the increased association of platelets and neutrophils has been shown to be of key importance in inflammation and thrombosis.

Minimum anesthetic concentration of sevoflurane with different xenon concentrations in swine.

Unlabelled: In a previous study, we described a partial antagonism of xenon (Xe) in combination with isoflurane. One hypothetical explanation suggested that Xe and isoflurane probably induced anesthesia via different pathways at the neuronal level. This warranted investigating the combination of Xe with other inhaled anesthetics to examine the relationship between Xe and volatile anesthetics in general.

Minimum alveolar anesthetic concentration of isoflurane with different xenon concentrations in Swine.

Unlabelled: For patients requiring a fraction of inspired oxygen more than 0.3, the use of xenon (Xe) as the sole anesthetic is limited because of its large minimum alveolar anesthetic concentration (MAC) of 71%. This warrants investigating the combination of Xe with other inhaled anesthetics.

Effect of halothane and isoflurane on binding of ADP- and TRAP-6- activated platelets to leukocytes in Whole blood.

Background: Adhesion of activated platelets to neutrophils and monocytes has an important role in the regulation of inflammatory processes. This study investigates whether halothane and isoflurane affect binding of activated platelets to leukocytes in human whole blood.

Methods: Citrated whole blood was incubated for 60 min with either 1 or 2 minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) halothane or isoflurane.