The noble gas xenon is used for general anesthesia in clinical routine. Recent reports indicate that xenon is also used for increasing performance in high-performance sports. The purpose of this study is to establish a method for detecting xenon exposure in humans.~In patients undergoing surgery with xenon anesthesia as part of routine hospital care, small blood samples (3ml) will be taken before anesthesia, during anaesthesia and at 1,2, 4, 8, 16, 24, 32, 40 and 48 hours after anesthesia. These blood samples will be analyzed for traces of xenon.
The purpose of this study is to establish a laboratory method to determine from blood samples whether a person has been treated with xenon.