A comparative study of sevoflurane induction using continuous tidal volume breaths versus three vital capacity breaths technique in adult patients undergoing elective surgical procedures under general anaesthesia

Introduction: Previous studies have shown stable cardiovascular parameters and minimal airway irritation with sevoflurane induction in adults. Also, time taken for induction is comparable to intravenous drugs. The authors planned to conduct a randomized, control study to compare the effect of continuous tidal volume breaths versus three vital capacity breaths for sevoflurane induction on time taken for induction, haemodynamic parameters and intubating conditions in adult patients undergoing elective surgery under general anaesthesia. Materials and Methods: Sixty patients planned to undergo elective surgical procedures under general anaesthesia were included in study. Patients were divided randomly using sealed opaque envelope method in group 1 and group 2 of thirty patients each. Group 1 patients received continuous tidal volume breath and group 2 patients received three vital capacity breaths. The statistical analysis was done using IBM SPSS Statistics Software Version 15.0. The independent samples Student t-test was used to determine the differences in basic clinical characteristics, mean Arterial Pressure, heart Rate, and intubation time between the two groups. Quantitative data were evaluated by chi square test. Any p value less than 0.05 was considered as significant. Result: Variation in heart rate between two groups was statistically significant at 1 min. (p=0.04), 2 min. (p=0.01) and 3 min. (p=0.004) after start of induction. The time taken for loss of consciousness was significantly less in vital capacity induction group. (p Conclusion: Heart rate and mean arterial pressure remain stable during sevoflurane induction in adult patients using three vital capacity breath or tidal volume breath technique. Intubating conditions are better and time taken to lose consciousness is less with vital capacity breaths. Keywords: Sevoflurane, Adult, Tidal volume, Vital capacity.