The effects of suxamethonium and pancuronium on the haemodynamic response to endotracheal intubation

The pharmacological effects of suxamethonium and pancuronium on the cardiovascular system may vary and therefore alter the haemodynamic response to intubation. The arterial blood pressure, the heart rate and the rate pressure product were measured as parameters of haemodynamic change in forty adult ASA. I and II patients undergoing laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation in a randomised controlled study. The patients were induced with either thiopentone/suxamethonium (Group A) or thiopentone/pancuronium (Group B). There was no significant difference between the groups on comparison of systolic and diastolic blood pressure changes. Pancuronium, however, caused a significantly higher rise in the heart rate after endotracheal intubation compared to suxamethonium. In both groups the maximum rate pressure product occurred one minute after intubation, rising by 56% in the suxamethonium group and 64% in the pancuronium group compared to control values. In conclusion, there were significant and statistically similar increases in systolic and diastolic blood pressures and rate pressure product following intubation in both groups with values significantly above baseline until three minutes post intubation but the increase in heart rate in group A was significantly less than that in group B.