Background and Goal of Study: Inflammation and oxidative stress are considered as key mediators of complications after cardiac surgery.  Sevoflurane, compared with propofol-based anesthesia, attenuated the release of serum markers of cellular injury in a model of thoracic-aortic occlusion in pigs(1) and provided greater protection against myocardial oxidative stress in off-pump coronary surgery(2). This study has been performed on the hypothesis that sevoflurane-based anesthesia reduces inflammation and oxidative stress compared with propofol-based anesthesia during partial aortic clamping.

Materials and Methods: Ten healthy minipigs were divided into 2 groups (5 per group) according to the anesthetic received (sevoflurane 2% or propofol 11-12 mg/kg/h). After median sternotomy, a side clamp (20 min) was applied in the ascending aorta. To investigate the inflammatory and oxidative stress response to partial aortic clamping we studied the biomarkers: Heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70), C3a, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and nitric oxide (NO) at baseline (before aorta cross-clamp) and after aorta cross-clamp removal (reperfusion). Arterial blood samples were analyzed. All data were expressed as mean ± SEM. 

Results: Animals in both intervention groups did not differ in terms of sex (male/female 5/0) and body weight (sevoflurane, 34±1 kg, propofol, 25±3 kg). At baseline, comparable values were obtained in both groups. The results showed that, after aortic cross-clamp removal, there was no significant difference between the groups, sevoflurane and propofol (Table 1).

Conclusions: After ascending aorta partial clamping, sevoflurane-based anesthesia did not reduce inflammation and oxidative stress compared with propofol-based anesthesia.

References:
1.	Annecke T, Kubitz JC, Kahr S, et al.. Effects of sevoflurane and propofol on ischaemia-reperfusion injury after thoracic-aortic occlusion in pigs. Br J Anaesth. 2007;98:581-90.
2.	Ballester M, Llorens J, Garcia-de-la-Asuncion J, et al. Myocardial oxidative stress protection by sevoflurane vs propofol: a randomised controlled study in patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Eur J Anaesthesiol 2011;28:874-81.

Partial aortic cross-clamping, inflammation and oxidative stress response: does anaesthetic matters?