Mechanisms of cardioprotection by volatile anesthetics.

A RAPIDLY growing body of evidence indicates that volatile anesthetics protect myocardium against reversible and irreversible ischemic injury. Identifying the mechanisms by which volatile agents mediate these antiischemic actions is the subject of intense research. This objective has been difficult to accomplish because volatile anesthetics also profoundly affect cardiovascular function. Volatile agents reduce arterial and coronary perfusion pressure, cause dose-related depression of myocardial contractility, produce coronary vasodilation, affect electrophysiologic function, and modify autonomic nervous system activity to varying degrees. Therefore, the antiischemic effects of volatile anesthetics may be mediated, at least in part, by favorable alterations in myocardial oxygen supply–demand relations, preservation of energy-dependent cellular functions, and increased coronary blood flow. However, it seems unlikely that changes in myocardial metabolism and coronary perfusion caused by volatile anesthetics are solely responsible for protection against ischemic damage. Instead, several endogenous signal transduction pathways, acting through the adenosine triphosphate (ATP)–sensitive potassium (KATP) channel and involving the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), have been implicated in mediating the antiischemic actions of volatile anesthetics. The experimental and clinical findings documenting the phenomenon of volatile anesthetic preconditioning against ischemic injury of myocardium are evaluated. Recent findings in vitro and in vivo that seek to define the intracellular mechanisms responsible for these beneficial actions are also summarized.