What are the hemodynamic changes (cardiac output, stroke volume, total peripheral resistance, and intrathoracic blood volume) during thiopental anesthesia in humans?
The study investigates the hemodynamic effects of thiopental anesthesia in humans, noting its historical association with severe adverse events like cardiac arrest.
Thiopental, monosodium 5-ethyl-5-(1-methyl- butyl) -thiobarbiturate, is extensively used in clinical anesthesia either as a primary anesthetic agent for short surgical procedures or as a sup- plementary drug in conjunction with other anes- thetics. Fatalities have been attributed to its use (1, 2) and cardiac arrest has occurred following its administration to patients under spinal anes- thesia (3).
Etsten et al. (1955) studied this question.