Methods for the estimation of blood halothane concentrations by gas chromatography.

The requirement to monitor blood halothane levels during anaesthesia demands a method of analysis which can be completed within a matter of minutes. This is particularly true when a digital computer monitoring system is in use on-line. For this purpose the method of choice is gas chromatography. During recent years die engineering of commercial chromatographs has improved significandy and they are available in many laboratories. Most of the papers dealing widi die estimation of blood halodiane levels by gas chromatography have been based upon die use of an extraction technique to remove the halodiane from die blood sample, before die sample of die extracting agent plus halodiane is loaded on to die chromatographic column. Aldiough more time-consuming, this arrangement overcomes some of die difficulties which are encountered widi die loading of whole blood into die chromatograph.