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Residual Nitrous Oxide in Operating Room Personnel
Author(s) -
Korttila K.,
Pfäffli P.,
Ertama P.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
acta anaesthesiologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1399-6576
pISSN - 0001-5172
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-6576.1978.tb01347.x
Subject(s) - nitrous oxide , morning , evening , medicine , zoology , anesthesia , room air distribution , meteorology , physics , astronomy , biology
The concentrations of nitrous oxide in the blood and end‐tidal air of 10 operating‐room nurses were assayed by gas chromatography immediately and 1, 2, 5, and 21 h after 3 hours of exposure to an average of 380 ppm of nitrous oxide in operating‐room air. In the second trial the nurses' end‐tidal air concentrations of nitrous oxide were assayed on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday morning, and on Sunday afternoon and evening to reveal a possible accumulation of nitrous oxide during a routine week. After cessation of exposure there was a rapid decrease in the blood concentrations of nitrous oxide during the first hour (from 153±110 μ g /1 to 48±20 μg/1 at 1 h; means ± s.d.), followed by a slower decrease. Small amounts (mean±s.d.: 18±6 μg/1) of nitrous oxide were still measurable on the following morning 21 h after exposure. At 2 or 5 h after exposure there was an increase in blood and end‐tidal air concentrations of nitrous oxide in seven and nine nurses, respectively. The end‐tidal air concentrations of nitrous oxide were greater on Wednesday (22±7 μg/1) than on Monday morning (8.4±1.5 μg/1), but on Friday they were similar to those measured on Monday morning. The concentrations measured on Sunday, i.e. 2 days after exposure, were similar (average 15 μg/1) to those measured during the week. It is concluded that, after cessation of exposure to nitrous oxide, there is a rapid decrease in the concentrations in blood and end‐tidal air, but small amounts of nitrous oxide remain in the body for at least 3 days after cessation of exposure.