Orlando, Fla.—Anesthesiologists working with trauma patients need to consider the effects of induction using etomidate. A new study has concluded that the GABA-A receptor agonist is associated with small but measurable increases in inflammatory response and worsening of respiratory function in these patients.
“As many as 40% of trauma deaths are associated with hemorrhage,” said Ernesto Lopez, MD, a resident at the University of Texas Medical Branch, in Galveston.