Halothane related liver affection in an anaesthetist.

Halothane and liver damage.

The Medical Assessor to the Committee on Safety ofMedicines recently issued' a letter entitled "Jaundice following repeated exposure to halothane," in which he noted that 130 reports of jaundice following anaesthesia had been received by the committee between 1964 and 1972, every case being associated with the use of halothane. Ninety-four of these patients had been exposed to halothane more th...

Halothane and liver damage.

Halothane was first synthesized by Suckling in 1952 and introduced into clinical practice a few years later.',2 Its many advantages, such as quick action, easy administration, non-explosiveness, high potency and low cost, led to its widespread use within a short time. Although initial animal work did not indicate any hepatotoxic effect,3`5 the first cases of unexplained hepatitis after exposure...

Halothane anaesthesia and liver damage.

A recent experience of the senior author when addressing a meeting of anaesthetists prompted this review, since it was apparent that there was still considerable disagreement between hepatologists and anaesthetists over the association between liver cell damage and halothane anaesthesia and the measures by which the risk could be minimised. Although during the 1960s and 1970s the evidence was h...

Halothane aggravation of chronic liver disease.

A 33 year old woman developed a florid form of chronic active hepatitis after exposure to halothane. Histological and immunological data suggested that autoimmune type chronic active hepatitis antedated the acute hepatotoxic sequelae of the hatothane anaesthesia. Studies on the immuno regulatory functions of peripheral blood lymphocytes revealed a marked defect in suppressor cell function. It i...

An Account of a Remarkable Nervous Affection