Comparison of the safety between etomidate and propofol for fibreoptic intubation for difficult intubation

Objective To compare the safety between etomidate and propofol for fibreoptic intuhation for difficult intubation during induction of anesthesia. Methods Thirty-four ASA I-II patients were randomly divided into group E and group P,each group was 17 cases. During induction,etomidate and fentanyl were used in group E and propofol was used in group P. All patients were administered lidocaine for superficial anesthesia from nasal cavity to upper trachea. Intravenous injection of fentanyl and administered etomidate or propofol,all patients were intubated with fibreoptic after loss of consciousness. Lactic acid (LAC),bispectral index of cerebral (BIS),end-tidal carbon dioxide partial pressure (PETCO2) were monitored and time to loss of consciousness,time to recovery of spontaneous breathing,BIS value,time of the lowest BIS value,LAC value and (PETCO2) value were measured. Results All patients were successfully achieved fibreoptic intubation. The time to loss of consciousness,BIS value,LAC value and end-tidal carbon dioride partial pressure PETCO2 value were no significant difference between two groups. The time to recovery of spontaneous breathing and the time of the lowest BIS values were significant difference between two groups [(48.3±10.7)s,(36.7±9.3)s vs (98.7±11.3) s,(68.5±12.1)s](P＜0.01). Conclusion For fibreoptic intubation for difficult intubation,the time to recovery of spontaneous breathing of using etomidate for induction is faster than using propofol,so etomidate is considered more safe. Key words: Catheterization;  Etomidate;  Propofol;  Bronchoscopes