Inhalation Toxicity Study of a Haloalkene Degradant of Sevoflurane, Compound A (PIFE), in Sprague-Dawley Rats

Abstract
Background: Under certain circumstances in the clinical setting, contact of the anesthetic sevoflurane with a CO2absorbant (e.g., soda lime, Baralyme) leads to the formation of a degradant designated as pentafluoroisopropenyl fluoromethyl ether (PIFE; Compound A). Previous studies have shown that the kidney is the primary target organ for toxicity in the rat. This study was designed to determine the impact of PIFE on rat renal histology correlated with functional changes. The findings are discussed in terms of probable mechanism of action and relevance to humans.