Purpose: To evaluate the influence of the anesthetic regimen on anesthetic recovery, survival, and blood glucose levels following a 90% partial hepatectomy in rats.
Methods: Thirty adult male Wistar rats were divided into two groups according to their anesthetic regimens: intraperitoneal ketamine and xylazine or inhaled isoflurane. In order to prevent hypoglycemia, glucose was administered intraperitoneally and glucose (20%) was added to the drinking water.
Results: Anesthetic recovery time was longer in the ketamine and xylazine group. The survival rate after 72 hours was lower (log rank=0.0001) in the ketamine and xylazine group (0.0%) than in the isoflurane group (26.7%). The blood glucose after six hours was lower (p=0.017) in the ketamine and xylazine group (63 ± 31.7 mg/dL) than in the isoflurane group (98 ± 21.2 mg/dL). The prolonged anesthesia recovery time associated with ketamine and xylazine decreased the survival rate and blood glucose levels after 90% hepatectomy.
Conclusion: Isoflurane anesthesia reduced the recovery time and incidence of hypoglycemia and increased the survival rate in the early hours, providing a therapeutic window that is suitable for experimental studies.