Halothane is a volatile anesthetic, which was first introduced to clinical practice in 1956. In Iran, halothane is being used as the main anesthetic in more than 80% of hospitals. Unfortunately, increasing numbers of HH are being reported in Iran.
A new article addresses this question. The research team led by Dr. Eghtesadi-Araghi Payam from Shariati Hospital of Iran studied HH in Iran and its associated risk factors.
The results of this study revealed that despite guidelines have been developed to reduce the probability of a patient developing HH, they are largely ignored in Iran. Also, the results showed that a large percentage of these cases could have been avoided.
To reduce further cases of HH from occurring in countries still utilizing halothane in adults' anesthesia, the authors suggested that the use of halothane should be absolutely avoided in female patients with a history of surgery (or delivery) with general anesthesia. The authors think that strict adherence to this set of criteria will reduce, but not totally prevent occurring of HH following in these countries.
This series of 59 cases of HH collected in 12 years in a country with health security conditions lower than those found in the US or Western Europe is of high medical interest for the Iranian population and populations of other countries in the Middle East and, most likely, also in Africa and Asia. Therefore, the topic of the present paper is quite pertinent and extremely interesting for a lot of physicians around the world.
- Eghtesadi-Araghi et al. Halothane hepatitis in Iran: A review of 59 cases. World Journal of Gastroenterology, 2008; 14 (34): 5322 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.14.5322
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