Halothane hepatitis in a prospective study of postoperative complications.

In a prospective study comprising 2609 consecutive surgical patients, of whom 1166 were anesthetized with halothane, four cases of hepatitis were encountered. The incidence of hepatitis among those who received halothane was 1:292 in our material. The high incidence may be explained by the recognition of milder forms of hepatitis and by the selection of the series (over 40 years). Serum alanine aminotransferase should be investigated in all patients with postoperative pyrexia of unknown origin if mild forms of halothane hepatitis are to be discovered. The patient's history should be carefully examined for previous postoperative pyrexia of unknown origin following halothane anesthesia, in which case other anesthetics should be chosen.