1. Etomidate - a review of robust evidence for its use in various clinical scenarios
- Author
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Gabor Erdoes, Reto Basciani, and Balthasar Eberle
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,medicine.drug_class ,business.industry ,MEDLINE ,General Medicine ,medicine.disease ,Hypnotic ,Sepsis ,Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine ,Etomidate ,Anesthesia ,medicine ,Observational study ,Clinical significance ,Intensive care medicine ,Risk assessment ,business ,Surgical patients ,medicine.drug - Abstract
Etomidate is an intravenous hypnotic with a favourable clinical profile in haemodynamic high-risk scenarios. Currently, there is an active debate about the clinical significance of the drug's side effects and its overall risk-benefit ratio. Etomidate-induced transient adrenocortical suppression is well documented and has been associated with increased mortality in sepsis. In surgical patients at risk of hypotensive complications, however, a review of current literature provides no robust evidence to contraindicate a single-bolus etomidate induction. Large randomised controlled trials as well as additional observational data are required to compare safety of etomidate and its alternatives.
- Published
- 2014