Effect of Etomidate Versus Midazolam-Sodium Thiopental on Attenuating the Cardiovascular Response to Laryngoscopy and Tracheal Intubation

Background: Laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation lead to an increased sympathetic reflex response, which is associated with increased heart rate and blood pressure. This response can be detrimental in patients with myocardial ischemia. This study aimed to investigate the effects of etomidate in comparison to a combination of midazolam and sodium thiopental in reducing the sympathetic response to laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation. Methods: This double-blind, randomized clinical trial study was conducted on two groups of 39 candidates for elective surgery under general anesthesia. Anesthesia was induced by etomidate (E) 0.3 mg/kg in the first group and sodium thiopental 2.5 mg/kg and midazolam 0.075 mg/kg in the second group (TM); then, the patients were intubated. Laryngoscopy findings and cardiovascular response were evaluated during the study. Finally, the data were analyzed using SPSS version 23 (IBM SPSS, Armonk, NY, USA). Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of age (P = 0.82), weight (P = 0.42), height (P = 0.201), body mass index (P = 0.78), gender (P = 0.65), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status (P = 0.36), and laryngoscopy view grading (P = 0.83). The average laryngoscopy time in the E group was less than the TM group (P = 0.019). In the TM group, at 10 minutes after intubation, mean diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.029) and mean arterial blood pressure (P = 0.023) were significantly lower; however, at other times, there was no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of adverse responses to laryngoscopy and intubation (P = 0.19). Conclusions: The results of the present study showed that etomidate (E) and a combination of midazolam-sodium thiopental (TM) acted similarly in attenuating the cardiovascular response to laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation, and it seems that TM can be used instead of E if needed.