POSTANESTHETIC HYPOTENSION FOLLOWING CYCLOPROPANE

Abstract

A continuous recording was made of alveolar CO2 concn. using a mass spectrometer in patients undergoing non-major surgery under light endotracheal cyclopropane anesthesia. In 16 patients the respirations were "assisted"; in the other 15 no assistance was given to breathing. In the "unassisted" patients there was a rise in the alveolar CO2 content and also a rise in arterial blood pressure, although the 2 findings were not closely related. After anesthesia these subjects showed a fall in alveolar CO2 accompanied by a drop, sometimes marked, in blood pressure which remained low up to 48 hrs. The degree of post anesthetic hypotension was directly related to amt. of hypercapnia. With efficient assistance of respiration, the alveolar CO2 remained normal after induction of anesthesia. The blood pressure, however, was raised, at least during the early stages of anesthesia, in all 16 patients. A post-anesthetic fall in blood pressure occurred in only 2.