Background The use of an alternative liquid anaesthetic sevoflurane has recently been reported in the literature on vascular ulcers. Topical application for management of analgesia appears to be successful.

Purpose To evaluate the stability of sevoflurane in pure polypropylene amber syringes.

Material and methods Commercial solutions of sevoflurane (Sevorane) were packed in polypropylene syringes. The syringes were stored at 23°C for 14 days in a digitally temperature-controlled chamber. The physical parameters monitored were clarity and colour. Chemical stability was determined by means of 19-Fluorine Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (¹⁹F-NMR) and gas chromatography coupled with a Flame Ionisation Detector (GC-FID).

Results Over the 14 days, the clarity and lack of colour of the solutions were maintained. ¹⁹F-NMR signals identical to those of the original product were observed in all samples, corresponding to the chemical structure of unchanged sevoflurane. Meanwhile, in the GC-FID analysis, no additional peaks occurred at the storage temperature. No degradation products were observed by either analytical technique.

Conclusion Pure sevoflurane preserved in amber polypropylene syringes was stable for 14 days at room temperature. This enables it to be stored in a more convenient way, and provides greater comfort in drug instillation onto the ulcer bed from the syringe.

References and/or acknowledgements University of Almería.

No conflict of interest.