A comparison of propofol, etomidate and ketofol as induction agent: a randomized clinical study

Introduction: Laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation is integral part of general anaesthesia but is frequently associated with haemodynamic disturbances. Propofol, ketamine and etomidate have their own limitations when they used alone for induction. Thus, this study was designed to compare haemodynamic changes during induction and intubation with propofol, etomidate and ketofol. Materials And Methods: After taking Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI/2018/04/013409) registration, this prospective, randomized, comparative, double blind Study was conducted on 120 patients aged 18-60 yrs, ASA grade I or II, posted for elective surgery under general anaesthesia. The patients were randomly allocated into three groups. Group P- Inj Propofol (2.0 mg/kg), Group E -Inj Etomidate (0.3 mg/kg) and Group KP- Inj Propofol (1.5 mg/kg) plus Inj ketamine (0.5mg/kg) intravenously. Heart rate, systolic blood pressure , diastolic blood pressure and mean arterial blood pressure were recorded before induction, immediately after induction, 0,1,3,5 and 10 min after intubation. Results: The data related analysed using Student t test, Pearson Chi-square test and ANOVA wherever applicable, P<0.05 was considered statistically signicant. A statistically signicant difference was noted between the groups regarding vital parameters at different time interval [p<0.05]. Conclusion: The combination of ketamine plus propofol has better haemodynamic stability without side effects than etomidate and propofol alone as an induction agent. Hence, combination (ketofol) may be better choice than either propofol or etomidate alone as induction agent with stable haemodynamics.