Sevoflurane, propofol produce different metabolic patterns in brains of unconscious children

Two commonly used anesthetics produce different metabolic patterns in the brains of unconscious children, according to a study from the November issue of a Anesthesiology. Researchers from Stony Brook University, New York, found the inhalant gas anesthetic sevoflurane produced more lactate, a marker for enhanced or changed brain metabolism, compared to the intravenous anesthetic propofol.

While past pediatric literature has reported that sevoflurane may be associated with emergence delirium, a state of consciousness in which a child is inconsolable, irritable or uncooperative, the study explored the potential association between emergence delirium and specific brain metabolites like lactate.