A straightforward method for determination of the sevoflurane metabolite hexafluoroisopropanol in urinary occupational medical samples by headspace-gas chromatography mass spectrometry.

Biological monitoring of the unmodified sevoflurane and its metabolite hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) in urine samples was proposed to determine the individual exposure levels of the medical staff. In this study, a method for simultaneous determination of both compounds in urine using static headspace-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-GC-MS) was developed. The method is linear over a broad concentration range from 1 to 1000 µg/L (r2 > 0.999) and shows high precision. Limits of quantification (LOQ) are 0.6 µg/L for sevoflurane and 3 µg/L for HFIP, representing an excellent sensitivity without the necessity of analyte enrichment. The method was successfully applied in a German pilot-study to monitor both compounds in samples from medical personnel working in operating theatres. Urinary concentrations of HFIP ranged between < LOQ and 145 µg/L, while sevoflurane was below the LOD in all samples.