Protective effects of sevoflurane on myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury

Background As a common anesthetics, sevoflurane has been demonstrated by numerous experimental research to prevent myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (MI/RI). However, this benefit has not been consistently supported by clinical studies. Objective To review recent clinical research to evaluate myocardial protection of sevoflurane. Content Sevoflurane may protect myocardia from MI/RI during heart and non-heart surgery, including coronary artery bypass grafting, heart valve surgery, cardiac intervention therapy, and esophagectomy, etc. The efficacy depends on timing, duration, concentration, types of surgery, and health status of patients. Trend The diversity of surgeries that use sevoflurane for anesthetics posits difficulty in reaching consent about myocardial protection in MI/RI by sevoflurane. Large-scale, multi-center, double-blind, randomized clinical investigations are demanded to solve this puzzle. Key words: Sevoflurane; Myocardial preservation; Ischemia/reperfusion injury