CYCLOPROPANE INDUCTION TO ENDOTRACHEAL ETHER ANAESTHESIA IN INFANTS AND CHILDREN

An induction technique in children employing cyclopropane and ether in oxygen, administered by a to-and-fro system with controlled ventilation and without carbon dioxide absorption, is described, and certain physiologic effects of this technique are reported. A significant rise in the inspired and end-expired carbon dioxide concentration was observed when no absorber was used in the system, and the end-expired carbon dioxide concentration was higher in the larger patients. A significant decrease in heart rate and a high incidence of cardiac arrhythmias were observed during induction, whether or not a carbon dioxide absorber was incorporated in the system used. A survey of the incidence of cardiac arrest in 22,000 anaesthetics administered at this hospital, in which the described method of induction was used, indicated a greatly increased risk in the 1-to-6-months age group. As no cardiac arrests associated with this induction occurred in children over 2 years old, the technique is apparently a safe and effective one in older children.