Canadian Journal of Anesthesia, Vol 25, 26-29, Copyright © 1978 by Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society

Cardiovascular Effects of Droperidol During Enflurane and Enflurane - Nitrous Oxide Anaesthesia in Man

¹ Department of Anesthesiology, The University of Utah College of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84132

The cardiovascular effects of intravenous droperidol 5 mg were measured in 20 patients during steady state enflurane-nitrous oxide-oxygen or enflurane-oxygen anaesthesia. During enflurane-nitrous oxide-oxygen anaesthesia, droperidol produced significant decreases in SVR and BP and increases in HR and Q^·T which were maximal after five minutes, somewhat less five minutes later, and back to control values 15 minutes after administration. SV was not significantly altered by droperidol during enflurane-nitrous oxide-oxygen at any time after administration. During enflurane-oxygen anaesthesia droperidol reduced SVR and BP after five and ten minutes but did not significantly alter any other variable. All variables had returned to control levels 15 minutes after droperidol during enflurane-oxygen anaesthesia. These data demonstrate that droperidol produces a significant though transient reduction of BP and SVR during enflurane anaesthesia which is associated with no change or an increase in Q^·T. Our findings suggest that droperidol causes minimal or no myocardial depression when used during potent inhalation anaesthesia and may have a place as an amnesic supplement and/or "afterload" reducer during light enflurane anaesthesia.

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Presented in part at the 1977 Annual Meeting of the Canadian Anaesthetists' Society, in Saskatoon, June 1977.