Is enflurane hepatotoxic?

• Published in: Anesthesia and analgesia Vol. 65; no. 1; pp. 21 - 30
• Main Authors: EGER, E. I. II, SMUCKLER, E. A, FERRELL, L. D, GOLDSMITH, C. H, JOHNSON, B. H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hagerstown, MD Lippincott 1986
• Subjects: Adult; Anesthetics. Neuromuscular blocking agents; Biological and medical sciences; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury; Enflurane - adverse effects; Female; Halothane - adverse effects; Humans; Liver Diseases - pathology; Male; Medical sciences; Neuropharmacology; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Volatile compound; Human; General anesthetic; Toxicity; Liver; General anesthesia; Complication; Inhalation
• ISSN: 0003-2999; 1526-7598
• DOI: 10.1213/00000539-198601000-00004

We evaluated 88 cases of hepatic injury that followed, and were attributed to, enflurane anesthesia. In 30 of the cases, data were insufficient to assess the role of enflurane vs other variables as causal factors. In 43 ("unlikely") patients, factors known to produce hepatic injury were clearly present; in the remaining 15 ("possible"), such factors were not evident. No consistent pathologic change was found in liver specimens from either the unlikely or the possible group of cases. A syndrome suggested to be associated with enflurane-induced hepatic injury was present in both groups and did not differ between groups. We conclude that the data do not demonstrate a causal relationship between enflurane anesthesia and subsequent liver injury and that if severe injury is caused by enflurane anesthesia, it is an extremely rare event.