Effect of Halothane Anesthesia on Muscle, Liver, Thyroid, and Adrenal-Function Tests in Man

percent-hours of halothane oxygen anesthesia without surgery. Serum bilirubin, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase significantly increased after anesthesia, which may indicate subclinical liver-cell damage. Creatine kinase of skeletal muscle origin in-creased above 90 U/liter in six subjects, indicating sub-clinical muscle-cell damage. Cortisol, triiodothyronine uptake, thyroxine, and free thyroxine index increased significantly immediately after anesthesia. Serum bro-mide concentrations had increased by fivefold on the second day after anesthesia, and on the ninth day was still elevated fourfold. Oral temperatures increased 0.7 oc 6 h post-anesthesia, possibly because of increased thyroxine activity. Lactate dehydrogenase, hydroxybu-tyrate dehydrogenase and ‘y-glutamyltransferase activi