Cardiovascular studies during induction with minaxolone

The cardiovascular effects of induction of anesthesia with minaxolone, a new water soluble steroid agent, have been studied in 12 normotensive patients and 5 patients with treated hypertension. The arterial pressure, heart rate and ECG were continuously recorded before and during induction of anesthesia with Minaxolone 0.5 mg kg-1. Cardiac output measurements were made in the awake patient, at 3 minutes after the induction of anesthesia and 2 minutes after an increment of the drug. In both groups of patients, induction of anesthesia led to a decrease in systolic arterial pressure and a smaller decrease in diastolic arterial pressures. This was coupled with an increase in the heart rate. The decrease in cardiac output was similar in both the normal and treated hypertensive patients. Administration of an increment of minaxolone (0.1 mg kg-1) did not produce further significant changes in the cardiovascular variables. The results of this study show that the changes in hemodynamic variables with minaxolone are comparable with those seen following induction of anesthesia with other intravenous agents, with the one difference in that there was only minimal change in the diastolic arterial pressure.