Analgesic efficacy of topical sevoflurane on wounds

Abstract

Sevoflurane is a halogenated anesthetic derived from diethyl ether, which is presented as a volatile liquid. Administered by inhalation, it is widely used for the induction and maintenance of general anesthesia, as its safety profile is very good. In addition to their hypnotic action, various preclinical experiences show that sevoflurane and other halogenated ether derivatives produce an important analgesic/anesthetic effect when administered in their liquid form directly to the central nervous system, specifically to the spinal cord. However, it is classically thought they lack analgesic effect at peripheral level. However, clinical experiences in which sevoflurane had an important analgesic effect on painful wounds when it was irrigated in its liquid presentation on the bed of such wounds have been reported in recent years. Such analgesic effect is characterized by being established in a few minutes, be intense enough to allow sharp debridement of the wounds, and last for several hours. Concerning adverse effects, it has been reported so far no case of systemic adverse events; only local adverse effects have been reported, the most frequently reported one being mild and transitory itching. For the moment, clinical communications are limited to isolated clinical cases and case series of patients; obviously, relevant clinical trials are required to adequately establish the role of topical sevoflurane in the analgesic treatment of painful wounds. But while conducting these clinical trials, the off-label use of topical sevoflurane irrigated on the bed of painful wounds may be an alternative option for the analgesic treatment of wounds with pain refractory to usual treatments.