State of the Science Oral and Poster Sessions, October 2007

AANA Journal/October 2007/Vol. 75, No. 5 357 DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in these abstracts are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Departments of the Air Force, Army, Navy, and Public Health Service; the Department of Defense; or the US Government. A1 Blunting the sympathetic response to laryngoscopy during the induction of anesthesia Maria McCusker RN, BSN; Jill Donais, RN, BSN Introduction: It is well known that performing laryngoscopy for the purpose of endotracheal intubation is a very stimulating procedure. The resulting hypertension and tachycardia that typically ensues is the result of the intense sympathetic response to the laryngoscopy. Typically, opioids are given as part of the induction sequence of anesthesia as they are known to blunt the sympathetic response to laryngoscopy. The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a difference in the sympathetic response to laryngoscopy during induction of anesthesia comparing sufentanil with fentanyl. Method: Following IRB approval, written informed consent was obtained from forty patients. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups; group A received fentanyl 1.5-2 mcg/kg together with a standardized induction drug sequence, and group B received sufentanil 0.15-0.2 mcg/kg with the same standardized drug sequence. Laryngoscopy was performed following the administration of the induction drugs. Blood pressures and heart rates were recorded at pre-determined intervals during the induction. Data was analyzed to determine which of the two groups demonstrated increases in heart rate and blood pressure compared to baseline values. Results: Both groups had similar demographics. Repeated measures analysis of variance did not demonstrate a significant difference in heart rates or blood pressures for either group when comparing baseline values to post laryngoscopy values. The fentanyl group had an average increase in heart rate of 15 State of the Science Oral and Poster Sessions