Heart rate variability during tracheal intubation under etomidate or propofol general anesthesia

AIM: To investigate the effects of etomidate or propofol on the autonomic nervous system during tracheal intubation under general anesthesia. METHODS: Ninty patients scheduled for elective abdominal surgery were selected. Heart rate variability (HRV) was assessed preoperativelly, respectively after anesthesia induction and after tracheal intubation by heart rate power spectrum analysis (HRPSA). RESULTS: After anesthesia induction, the low frequency (LF) and total power (TP) decreased significantly in etomidate group (P0.05) and LF, high frequency (HF), LF/HF ratio (LF/HF) and TP decreased significantly in propofol group (P0.05). The reduction degree of LF and LF/HF in propofol group was more significant than that in etomidate group. After tracheal intubation, LF, HF, LF/HF and TP increased significantly in both groups and no significant difference of HRV was observed between the two groups (P0.05). CONCLUSION: Propofol decreases the activity of autonomic nervous system, whereas etomidate produces minimal changes under anesthesia induction. There is no remarkable difference in cardiovasological changes induced by etomidate and propofol during tracheal intubation.