Does general anaesthesia with xenon gas improve protection of the brain when compared to general anaesthesia with a standard anaesthetic agent?

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In this research project we will be comparing anaesthesia with xenon to anaesthesia with our usual anaesthetic agent, sevoflurane. Xenon has been used as an anaesthetic agent for many years but it’s use is limited because it is so expensive. In order to justify its use there needs to be good evidence that it has a significant benefit. One area in which xenon appears to have benefit is in protecting the brain during anaesthesia and surgery. There is growing evidence that having an anaesthetic and surgery can cause some problems with how the brain functions. This is of particular concern in infants and older people. This study is considering if there is evidence that xenon may be more protective of the brain than the usual anaesthetic. For the study, patients having a minor surgical procedure will have anaesthetic with either xenon or sevoflurane. We will take blood tests from both sets of patients. The blood tests will look for evidence of any harm to the brain cells of the patients to identify if one anaesthetic is better than the other.