Characteristics and implications of desflurane metabolism and toxicity : discussion

The metabolism of desflurane has been assessed both in animals and humans by measuring the appearance of fluoride metabolites (fluoride ion, nonvolatile organic fluoride, trifluoroacetic acid) in blood and urine. Desflurane administered to rats (either pretreated or not pretreated with phenobarbital or ethanol) for 3.2 MAC-hours and to swine for 5.5 MAC-hours produced fluoride ion levels in blood that were almost indistinguishable from values measured in control animals. In contrast, a significant 17% increase in plasma fluoride ion concentration in swine was detected 4 h after exposure to desflurane