Skin conductance correlates with perioperative stress

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Autonomic Nervous System Physiology
• Surgical Monitoring

Background:

• Skin conductance (SC) reflects sympathetic nervous system activity and emotional arousal.
• SC fluctuations occur due to sweat gland filling and evaporation, indicating physiological responses.
• Monitoring SC may provide insights into surgical stress during anesthesia.

Purpose of the Study:

• To measure SC fluctuations during laparoscopic cholecystectomy under propofol-remifentanil anesthesia.
• To assess the correlation between SC fluctuations and perioperative stress indicators.

Main Methods:

• Eleven patients underwent SC measurements before, during, and after anesthesia.
• SC fluctuations were compared with blood pressure, heart rate, catecholamine levels (norepinephrine, epinephrine), and Bispectral Index (BIS).

Main Results:

• SC fluctuation number and amplitude positively correlated with blood pressure, epinephrine, and norepinephrine levels.
• SC fluctuation number and amplitude also showed a strong positive correlation with BIS.
• SC fluctuations during tracheal intubation mirrored norepinephrine stress responses, unlike BIS.

Conclusions:

• The number of SC fluctuations appears to be a valuable indicator for monitoring perioperative stress.
• SC monitoring offers a potential non-invasive method for assessing surgical stress levels during anesthesia.