A study of intubating conditions and haemodynamic characteristics using propofol and rocuronium after pre-treatment with ephedrine

Background and Objectives: The present study was conducted to compare the efficacy of Pre-treatment with a low dose of intravenous ephedrine 70 ?g kg-1 on the intubating conditions and its effects on hemodynamic during rapid tracheal intubation using propofol 2.5 mg kg-1 and rocuronium bromide 0.6 mg kg-1. Methodology: In this study one hundred patients were included and randomly divided into two equal groups which received either ephedrine 70 ?g kg-1 diluted to 5 ml with normal saline (Group EPR) or 5 ml of normal saline (Group SPR) 3 min prior to laryngoscopy and intubation with Propofol 2.5 mg kg-1 and rocuronium bromide 0.6 mg kg-1. A blinded anaesthesiologist assessed the intubating conditions; heart rate and mean arterial pressure before anaesthesia induction (baseline), and every minute thereafter till5 minutes post intubation. A 30% change in hemodynamic variables from baseline was regarded as clinically significant. Data were analyzed using Paired samples t-test. Results: Intubating conditions were better (p=0.023) in the ephedrine pre-treated group. There was no statistically significant difference between the ephedrine pre-treated group and control regarding the time taken for laryngoscopy and intubation. There were no significant hemodynamic changes between the two groups except tachycardia. Conclusion: Ephedrine 70 ?g kg-1 prior to induction with propofol 2.5 mg kg-1 improves intubating conditions compared to propofol alone 1 minute after 0.6 mg kg-1 rocuronium bromide injection without significant hemodynamic effects. Key Words: Ephedrine; Rocuronium; Propofol; Rapid tracheal intubation