A Comparision Of The Clinical Characteristics And Patient Satisfaction Of Sevoflurane Or Propofol For The Induction Of General Anesthesia

Objective: To investigate the preoperative choices of adult patients to the inhalational versus intravenous routes of induction and compare the clinical characteristics and patients satisfaction of sevoflurane inhalation induction and induction with intravenous propofol, and thus provide some clinical evidence for the choices of anesthesia induction techniques in adults.Methods: We conducted a prospective and randomized study. The preoperative choices of 150 adult patients scheduled for general surgery under general anesthesia to the inhalational versus intravenous routes of induction were surveyed by questionnaire on the day before surgery. All patients were then randomly assigned to two groups. In the operating room, anesthesia was induced with multiple-deep-breath inhalation of 8% sevoflurane in 100% oxygen (group S:n=75) or intravenous injection of 2mg/kg propofol with spontaneous inhalation of 100% oxygen (group P:n=75). When the patient lost consciousness, then endotracheal intubation was instituted, and combined with midazalam,fentanyl and vecuronium. We compared induction time, the variances of heart rate, mean arterial pressure, oxygen saturation and the occurrences of adverse effects, and we also eualuated postoperative patient satisfaction of the two groups.Results: All 150 patients completed the research. Before anesthesia induction, 32(21%) selected inhalation induction and 21(14%) selected intravenous induction, the remaining 97(65%) expressed no clear preferance. The mean time of loss of eyelash reflexes were significantly longer in group S than in group P(69.1±14.3s vs 56.1±17.0s, respectively P＜0.05). Haemodynic variances were stable,such as heart rates and mean aterial pressures did not differ significantly between the two groups. Oxygen saturation did not drop below 96% in both groups at any time. There were no serious side effects during induction in either group. Patient satisfaction was high(VAS scores of group S: 9.6±0.9 vs group P:9.7±0.7, P＞0.05) in both groups, ninety seven percent of patients in group S and 98% of patients in group P were willing to have anesthesia by the same method again(P＞0.05).Conclusion: Both propofol intravenous induction and sevoflurane inhalational induction are acceptable induction methods for adult patients undergoing general surgery under general anesthesia. Combined with midazalam and fentanyl, the induction time of sevoflurane was longer than that of propofol. Both methods provide stable haemodynic variances and few adverse effects. Patient satisfaction was high with both approachs.