Effect of sevoflurane on cardiovascular activity at maintenance and emergence from anesthesia during surgery

The purpose of this preliminary study was to investigate the effect of sevoflurane, an inhalational anesthetic agent routinely used during surgery, on patients’ cardiovascular activity (Heart Rate – HR, and Perfusion Index – PI) during the maintenance and emergence phases of surgery, as well as identify if there is any significant correlation between HR and PI at either of the two phases of surgery. For the purposes of the study, a publicly available dataset containing patient monitoring data and vital signs recorded during surgery under general anesthesia by the University of Queensland was used. Heart rate (HR) and Perfusion index (PI) were extracted from 11 cases during maintenance and emergence from sevoflurane, and compared using descriptive statistics. Changes in HR between the two states were not significant, but a statistically significant reduction in PI during emergence compared to maintenance was observed. HR and PI were not significantly correlated during either of the surgical phases studied. This preliminary investigation supports further investigation into the use of continuous monitoring of PI values during surgery to reflect the level of the sympathetic nervous system activity and potentially assess the adequacy of anesthesia.