[Effect of premedication and fentanyl administration on the endocrine stress reaction during halothane anesthesia]

The influence of two different premedication regimens (diazepam versus pethidine/promethazine with fentanyl substitution before induction) on the endocrine stress-response during halothane anaesthesia was investigated in twenty orthopedic surgery patients. After premedication, the levels of plasma catecholamines, ADH, ACTH and cortisol were lower in the pethidine/promethazine-than in the diazepam-group. The levels of adrenaline remained significantly lower during the whole observation period. Thirty minutes after extubation all endocrine parameters except noradrenaline were lower in the pethidine/promethazine-group than in the diazepam-group.