Isoflurane pre-treatment before cardiopulmonary bypass alleviates neutrophil accumulation in dog lungs

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the effect of isoflurane pre-treatment on cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB)-related lung injury. METHODS: Twelve dogs were randomly divided into two groups of six each. In one group, 1.0 minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of isoflurane was administered for 30 min before CPB, while the control group received no anaesthetic. Both groups then underwent 100 min of mild hypothermic CPB with 60-min aortic cross clamping. Haemodynamic parameters, respiratory mechanics and alveolar arterial oxygen difference (AaDO(2)) were measured during the experiment. One hundred and fifty minutes after CPB, lung tissue samples from the non-dependent and dependent portions of the left and right lungs were harvested for polymorphonulear leukocyte (PMNs) counts. RESULTS: Following CPB, within the control group, pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) was significantly increased at 60, 120 and 180 min after declamping, AaDO2 deteriorated at 180 min post-declamping, and dynamic lung compliance (DLC) was reduced dramatically after declamping. Isoflurane pre-treatment before CPB significantly reduced PVR compared to the controls. AaDO(2) was impaired at 180 min after declamping and DLC was decreased after declamping within the isoflurane group. No differences in AaDO(2) and DLC were found between the isoflurane and control groups. At 180 min after declamping, the PMN count in both the non-dependent and dependent regions of the isoflurane pre-treated lungs was significantly lower than that of the controls. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that 30-min pre-treatment with 1.0 MAC isoflurane before CPB caused a reduction in PMN accumulation in the dog lungs, inhibition of increases in PVR, and it did not affect AaDO2 in the early post-CPB stage.