Multianalyte method to simultaneously evaluate occupational exposure to anesthetic gases in urine samples from healthcare professionals

Abstract

Objective: Monitoring occupational exposure in hospital settings requires valid non-invasive exposure assessment methods. We aimed to develop a multianalyte method to characterize and quantify urinary levels of anesthetic gases in healthcare professionals. Methods: Urine samples were collected from 37 recently exposed and 24 non-exposed professionals. A multianalyte method was developed and validated to measure urinary concentrations of desflurane, isoflurane, sevoflurane, and its main metabolite, hexafluoroisopropanol, using headspace gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (HS-GC-MS). Results: The methodology was successfully validated. It demonstrated adequate linearity and sensitivity [correlation coefficients (R²): 99.5–99.9%]. Limits of detection for the anesthetic gases were 0.15 to 0.60 ng/mL, and limits of quantification were 0.5 to 2.0 ng/mL. The recovery percentage ranged from 95.17% to 102.40%, and relative standard deviations were below 15%. Detectable concentrations in exposed participants ranged from 1.0 to 3.80 ng/mL (mean 0.53 ng/mL) for desflurane, 0.5 to 19.59 ng/mL (mean 1.39 ng/mL) for sevoflurane, and 2.0 to 729.35 ng/mL (mean 49.74 ng/mL) for hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP). No detectable concentrations of isoflurane were found in the exposed volunteers, nor were any of the anesthetics found in the non-exposed volunteers. Conclusions: A multianalyte HS-GC-MS method was successfully developed to simultaneously determine four anesthetic gases in urine samples and was validated in real-world samples from healthcare professionals. Future studies are needed to investigate the safety of exposure to these compounds for anesthesiologists and operating room nurses.