Comparison of the Qualities of Sevoflurane and Halothane in Paediatric Anaesthesia

Abstract

Background: Inhalational anaesthetics are used for the induction and maintenance of general anaesthesia in children. More agents are evolving in an effort to discover the agent of choice in this age group, considering the safety margin, availability, affordability, and accessibility of the anaesthetics.

Aim: The aim of our study was to compare the qualities of halothane and sevoflurane in paediatric patients.

Materials and Methods: This was a prospective randomised study of 100 children within the age group of 5–12 years, scheduled for elective surgery in
Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, from January to October 2022, and satisfied the study inclusion criteria. The following variables(heart rate, blood pressure, arrhythmias, and complications) were recorded and analysed using IBM SPSS version 25 (Chicago) USA. P ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: The incidence of tolerability at induction of anaesthesia, hypoxaemia (SpO₂<90%), and airway responses (laryngospasm, coughing, and breath holding) was similar in both the groups. However, at induction of anaesthesia, the degree of muscle rigidity in the sevoflurane group was statistically significant compared with the halothane group (P = 0.028), but the difference was not statistically significant at the recovery period (P = 0.59). More so, the incidence of arrhythmias was higher in the halothane group than in the sevoflurane group.

Conclusion: The overall qualities of halothane were commensurate with that of sevoflurane. However, where available and affordable, sevoflurane will be a better agent of choice in paediatric anaesthesia.