Effect of halothane on cilia beat frequency of ciliated human respiratory epithelium in vitro.

The effect of halothane on human ciliated nasal epithelium was studied in vitro. Samples from 24 healthy adult volunteers were exposed to halothane in varying concentrations and cilia beat frequency was measured using the transmitted light technique. Mean cilia beat frequency was measured at 30-min intervals. There was a significant decrease in cilia beat frequency at 2 h in samples that were exposed to halothane (mean 8.4 (SD 2.5) Hz, 9.18 (2.6) Hz and 6.99 (4.9) Hz) compared with air (10.8 (2.7) Hz, 11.6 (2.1) Hz and 12.1 (2.3) Hz) (P < 0.01). The coefficient of variation of cilia beat frequency measurements increased after exposure to halothane. There was no change in the cilia beat frequency of controls exposed to air over a 3-h period.