Sufentanil and succinylcholine for rapid-sequence anesthetic induction and tracheal intubation: hemodynamic and...

Rapid-sequence induction and tracheal intubation are used in the management of patients at risk of aspiration. Patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) are at additional risk of adverse hemodynamic responses to intubation. The hemodynamic and hormonal responses to intubation with sufentanil, 7 micrograms/kg, and succinylcholine, 1.5 mg/kg, were studied in patients with CAD and good left ventricular function (ejection fraction greater than or equal to 0.4) who were undergoing elective coronary artery bypass grafting. Tracheal intubation occurred 60 seconds after administration of sufentanil and succinylcholine. Heart rate, systemic and pulmonary arterial pressures, pulmonary artery occlusion and central venous pressures, and cardiac outputs were measured at various time intervals before and after induction of anesthesia. Systemic vascular resistance and cardiac index were calculated. Arterial blood samples were drawn before and after anesthetic induction for the determination of catecholamine concentrations in serum. Rapid-sequence administration of sufentanil and succinylcholine resulted in a moderate decrease (24%) in mean arterial pressure from 95 to 72 mm Hg, and the mean arterial pressure remained less than the control value at 1, 3, and 5 minutes after intubation. Systemic vascular resistance also decreased (23%) after administration of sufentanil and returned to control values 5 minutes after intubation. There were no changes in cardiac index until 5 minutes after intubation, at which time it decreased (18%) from 2.8 to 2.3 L/min/m2.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)