[Intraoperative changes in blood cortisol and prolactin during surface surgery: totally intravenous anesthesia with...

Forty patients ASA class 1-2 admitted to elective plastic-reconstructive surgery were randomized in two groups of 20 patients to receive either total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) with propofol (group P) or balanced-anaesthesia with sodium thiopental + isoflurane + N2O (group M). 24 hours before surgery (t0) blood was drawn for cortisol and prolactin; this was repeated 30 minutes after skin incision (t1), 30 minutes after extubation (t2) and 24 hours after surgery (t3). Serum cortisol level rose, but not significantly, at t2 in group M. Serum prolactin level rose significantly at t1 and t2 in group M, at t1 in group P. By 24 hours after surgery, the cortisol and prolactin concentration in both groups was not significantly different from the baseline value.