Renal responses to desflurane and isoflurane in patients with renal insufficiency.

BACKGROUND The most consistent risk factor for postoperative renal failure is poor preoperative renal function. Desflurane is not contraindicated in patients with renal disease, but the data regarding its effects on renal function in these patients are sparse. METHODS Only patients with preexisting renal disease were recruited into the study. In 51 adults undergoing elective surgery, general anesthesia was maintained using randomly desflurane or isoflurane according to a standardized protocol. Creatinine, creatinine clearance, and blood urea nitrogen were measured pre- and postoperatively. RESULTS The administered amounts of the inhaled anesthetic agents were 1.8 +/- 2.1 minimum alveolar concentration hours (mean +/- SD) of isoflurane (24 patients) and 2.2 +/- 1.8 minimum alveolar concentration hours of desflurane (27 patients), respectively. No deterioration in renal parameters was noted when comparing the pre- and postoperative values between the groups and within the groups over time. CONCLUSION General anesthesia with desflurane or isoflurane did not aggravate renal impairment in patients with preexisting renal insufficiency.