The effect of etomidate on intracranial pressure and systemic blood pressure in pediatric patients with severe traumatic brain injury

Objective: To evaluate the effects of single-dose etomidate in pediatric patients with intracranial hypertension after severe traumatic brain injury. Methods: Patients admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit with severe traumatic brain injury were enrolled with the informed consent of their guardians. The experimental intervention was a single dose of etomidate 0.3 mg/kg intravenously. This dosage was administered only when enrolled patients had acute elevations of intracranial pressure (ICP) to over 20 mm Hg for over 5 minutes. ICP and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were monitored continuously. ICP and MAP values for 6 consecutive 5-minute intervals after etomidate administration were averaged for all patients and compared with baseline. Results: Eight patients were enrolled. Mean ICP after etomidate administration was significantly lower than baseline ICP for each 5-minute interval (P < 0.05). The mean MAP for all patients increased from baseline during the first 5-minute interval, but this change was not statistically significant. No patient's MAP decreased below baseline at any time point. Conclusions: In pediatric patients with severe traumatic brain injury, single-dose etomidate administration resulted in statistically significant reductions in ICP and improvement in cerebral perfusion pressure without significantly altering MAP.