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Enflurane, a fluorinated methylethyl ether, is metabolized, in part, to inorganic fluoride. Methoxyflurane has similar metabolism, and cases of fluoride ion-induced renal failure have been reported after its use. This prospective study was initiated to determine fluoride ion kinetics after enflurance anesthesia in 16 healthy patients, 18 anephric patients, and 6 patients each having a creatinine clearance of less than 5 ml/min (on dialysis). Serum and urine inorganic fluoride levels were determined. There was no clinical or statistical significance difference among the 3 groups with respect to maximum inorganic fluoride ion concentration or the time to reach it. The fluoride ion values were never above the 50 muM level that has been reported to cause subclinical renal toxicity. The fluoride ion concentration in serum fell rapidly after termination of anesthesia even in the anephric patients. This is presumed to be due to uptake of the ion by bone. Patients with low creatinine clearance also have low fluoride ion clearance. Statistical but not clinical significance was found in the comparison between pre-enflurane and the 24-hr fluoride ion values in the anephric and low creatine clearance patients, but this did not persist after one dialysis.

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