Vitamin B12 Infusions Decrease Homocysteine during Anaesthesia

2014-08-06 12:06:55

Nitrous oxide is the anesthetic agent used in general anesthesia. Evidence suggests that being exposed to this gas leads to higher levels of homocysteine. Homocysteine is an amino acid that has been linked to cardiovascular disease because it may make people more prone to inflammation and atherosclerosis. In other words, it can increase the risk of clots, heart attacks, and strokes. In this newly published study, the authors evaluated the effects of a single-dose of intravenous infusions of vitamin B12 before and after anesthesia (1). It was a double-blind randomized controlled trial with 60 patients scheduled for elective surgery (typically lasting more than 2 hours). They were randomized into 3 groups. The first group received vitamin B12 solution (1mg/100mL normal saline) and 100mL of normal saline as a placebo infused before and after anesthesia. The second group received placebo and vitamin B12 infusion in the reverse order. The third group received placebo at both times. Homocysteine levels were measured before and 24 hours after surgery. The results showed that patients who had been unfused with vitamin B12 before the surgery had much lower levels of homocysteine than the 2 other groups, whose levels of homocysteine increased significantly after the surgery. The authors conclude that vitamin B12 infusion is a safe and inexpensive method to decrease homocysteine levels during anesthesia.