An ethnic comparison of the sympathetic response to tracheal intubation

The sympathetic response to orotracheal intubation was examined in five Europeans, 15 Chinese, and seven Nepalese male patients. Plasma adrenaline and noradrenaline concentrations were assayed using high performance liquid chromatography with colorimetric detection. There was a significant rise in noradrenaline concentrations following intubation in the Chinese and the concentrations decreased over 5 min. Similar increases were seen in the Europeans and Nepalese. The mean plasma catecholamine concentrations were comparable, which suggests that there are no ethnic differences in the groups studied. A wide interindividual variation of catecholamine concentrations was found.