Effect of Intravenous Propofol and Inhaled Sevoflurane Anesthesia on Postoperative Spirometric Indices: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Anesthetic drugs may directly or indirectly affect respiratory function. We investigated the effects of intravenous propofol and inhaled sevoflurane anesthesia on postoperative spirometric indices in patients undergoing inguinal herniorrhaphy surgery.

We randomly assigned 111 patients, aged 18 - 65 years, undergoing inguinal herniorrhaphy surgery, to receive either intravenous propofol or inhaled sevoflurane. Forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), and FEV1/FVC were measured before and after anesthesia. Comparisons between the two groups were made using the t-test and ANOVA.

There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of age, sex, height, body weight, BMI, pain score, ASA class, operation duration, and received analgesics. The FEV1 and FVC values significantly decreased after the operation in the sevoflurane group.

Both intravenous propofol and inhaled sevoflurane can decrease postoperative spirometry parameters. However, it seems that patients receiving propofol have less decreased spirometric indices.