[Cardiovascular effects of Rohypnol used as an agent to induce anesthesia]

The study involved 34 surgical patients in whom anaesthesia was induced by the intravenous injection of an average dose of 2.5 mg of flunitrazepam (Rohypnol or Ro-5-4200). The induction of anaesthetic sleep was obtained in 50 to 60 seconds and the duration of the anaesthetic effect 15 to 20 minutes. The patients continued to show hypnosedative effects for several hours postoperatively. The cardiovascular parameters studied - radial BP, ECG and pulmonary arterial pressure - were recorded directly whilst cardiac output was measured by thermodilution using a Swan-Ganz catheter. The decrease in systolic and diastolic pressures in relation to pre-anaesthetic values was 21 p. 100 and 16 p. 100 respectively, whilst pulmonary artery pressure fell by 13 p. 100. Cardiac output fell in a non-significant fashion and the same applied to systolic ejection volume for a given constant heart rate. There was a significant (18 p. 100) decrease in total peripheral resistance but alterations in central venous pressure were negligeable. The decrease in peripheral vascular and pulmonary artery resistances suggest that the product has a peripheral circulatory action and it is possible to correct the alterations seen.