Hyperbaric pressure of 51 atmospheres is without effect on the depression of oxygen uptake in kidney tissue culture produced by halothane.

Although anesthetized animals are awakened when subjected to increased pressure, compression does not result in antagonism of all phenomena associated with these drugs. It has recently been demonstrated that halothane's inhibition of respiration of isolated rat liver mitochondria is not reversed by hydraulic compression to 51 atmospheres. In order to determine whether this phenomenon can be extrapolated to the whole cell, we have investigated the effect of hydraulic compression of intact renal cells equilibrated with halothane, and conclude that pressure does not overcome the inhibitory effect of this anesthetic.