Comparison of Desflurane with Isoflurane or Propofol in Spontaneously Breathing Ambulatory Patients

Desflurane is a potentially useful anesthetic for ambulatory surgery, but it has had limited evaluation in spontaneously breathing patients.After the induction of anesthesia with propofol and laryngeal mask insertion, 90 patients were randomized to receive isoflurane (0.25%-1%), propofol (50-200 [micro sign]g [center dot] kg (-1) [center dot] min-1), or desflurane (1.4%-6%) for anesthetic maintenance. Respiratory complications were uncommon; only six patients coughed (three who received isoflurane, one who received propofol, and two who received desflurane), and no anesthetic produced significant respiratory depression. Purposeful movement was significantly more common with propofol (19 patients; 63%) compared with isoflurane (7 patients; 23%) or desflurane (2 patients; 6.7%), but no patient had recall. Emergence times were similar in the isoflurane, propofol, and desflurane groups (5.1 +/- 2.3, 5.6 +/- 3.1, and 4.4 +/- 1.4 min, respectively). Later recovery end points and pain and sedation visual analog scale scores did not differ among groups. Overall, 85 patients (94%) were free from postoperative nausea and vomiting. Desflurane produced few respiratory complications in spontaneously breathing ambulatory patients but offered no improvement in emergence or recovery compared with isoflurane. Propofol also did not reduce recovery times or side effects; however, it was more difficult to maintain an adequate depth of anesthesia. We conclude that neither desflurane nor propofol offered any major advantages over the older anesthetic, isoflurane, under the conditions of our study. Implications: The new inhaled anesthetic desflurane is acceptable in spontaneously breathing outpatients despite its known ability to irritate the airway. The IV anesthetic propofol was associated with more patient movement (without awareness) during surgery. Neither anesthetic conferred any clinically significant advantages over the older inhaled drug, isoflurane. (Anesth Analg 1998;87:312-8)