“Can anesthesia cause liver damage?”
I will have surgery under general anesthesia. Can anesthesia cause liver damage?
4 Answers
Usually it does not, The potent inhalation agents are exhaled through the lungs.
There have been very rare case reports of liver damage but in my 15 years of doing anesthesia, I have not encountered a single case
Generally, no, anesthesia does not cause liver damage. Many years ago (over 25-30) there was concern about a specific drug, which is no longer in use. Some people do realize that we stopped using that drug.
The short answer is no. Hepatitis could be caused by viruses or toxins. Balanced general anesthesia is not toxic to the liver. On the contrary, by supporting optimal blood supply to the liver and other vital organs it protects them. Historically there were inhalational anesthetics that were hepatotoxic after prolonged exposures during long surgical procedures, such as Halothane, but it’s off the market. Theoretically, another inhalational anesthetic Sevoflurane, which is currently used, has a metabolite called compound A, which could be hepatotoxic, but its metabolism is insignificant even after prolonged exposure and no cases of liver damage have been reported.
