Effect of General Anesthesia on Modulation of Sympathetic Nervous System Function

Mivazerol prevents the tachycardia caused by emergence from halothane anesthesia partly through activation of spinalα2‐adrenoceptors

“…Moreover, removal of the stellate ganglia barely affected HR and BP during anesthesia, but completely suppressed tachycardia upon withdrawal of the anesthetic. Altogether, these data therefore support the contention that HAL selectively depresses sympathetic outflow to the heart (5), and that withdrawal of the anesthetic produces immediate sympathetic overdrive causing tachycardia. This conclusion is further supported by the finding that hemodynamic changes observed upon withdrawal of HAL always occurred before the appearance of the first signs of return to consciousness (i.e.…”

“…H vation of the sympathetic nervous system, frequently occur during the postoperative period in patients undergoing surgery and general anesthesia ( 1 4 ) . Halogenated volatile anesthetics, like halothane (HAL), depress sympathetic activity (5), but emergence from such anesthetics is often associated with sympathetic "rebound" effects manifested as increases in heart rate and blood pressure. When occurring in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD), sympathetic hyperactivation may precipitate and/or increase the severity of peri-operative ischemia and hence contribute to increased postoperative cardiac morbidity and mortality (6).…”

Role of Renal Sympathetic Nerve Activity in Volatile Anesthesia's Effect on Renal Excretory Function

“…Indirect evidence indicates that volatile anesthesia decreases total sympathetic nerve activity in man as suggested by the finding of reduced plasma noradrenaline levels. 36 , 37 Sevoflurane also attenuates baroreflex function and may inhibit the peripheral sympathetic nervous system. 36 , 38 Human muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) has shown to be either unaffected or decreased by volatile anesthesia depending on the depth of anesthesia, 39 and skin sympathetic nerve activity is depressed by numerous anesthetics.…”

Comparison of Catecholamine Hormone Release in Patients Undergoing Carotid Artery Stenting or Carotid Endarterectomy

“…This observation may be explained by the fact that inhalational anesthetics produce marked sympathetic inhibition by decreasing noradrenaline clearance from the circulation and inhibit noradrenaline release at the prejunctional level. 38,39 In conclusion, this study demonstrated marked differences in neuroendocrine responses to CEA and CAS. Although numbers are small in the current study, there also appear to be differences in hemodynamic responses to the procedures, likely due to differing SNS reactions to carotid artery clamping compared to carotid sinus stretching during CAS.…”