Urinary output of adrenaline and noradrenaline during anaesthesia and surgery: preliminary study.

SYMX~mO-AVmNAL ~mVULLAaY ACTXVrrY during anaesthesia has been studied fluorometrically, measuring catechol amines in peripheral and adrenal vein blood. 1-u Results of these studies indicated that light anaesthesia did not produce any signi~cant rise in catechol amines, whereas deeper planes of anaesthesia employing ether, cydopropane, chloroform, and vinyl ether produced significant increases in blood levels of adrenaline and noradrenaline; halothane caused little or no change; thiopentone administration resulted in no change or a decrease in blood levels. One of the investigators e found decreased blood levels in deeper planes with cyclopropane and halothane. Periodic determination of blood levels of adrenaline and noradrenaline is a useful method for relating changes in depth of anaesthesia to the output of these hormones, and it also indicates total body output. The quantity of urinary output of adrenaline and noradrenaline seems to parallel the total body output. ~,e Therefore, determinations of urinary ou~ut should reflect the over-all changes in total body output during anaesthesia and surgery.