title: Comparison of the Effects of Thiopental Sodium and Propofol on Haemodynamics, Awareness and Newborns During Caesarean Section Under General Anaesthesia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the effects of propofol and thiopental on haemodynamics, awareness and newborns in pregnant women undergoing elective caesarean section.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy pregnant women were assigned into two equal groups. For anaesthesia induction, 2 mg kg(-1) propofol (Group P) and 5 mg kg(-1) thiopental (Group T) were administered. Maternal haemodynamic parameters and bispectral index (BIS) values were recorded before induction, in 1-minute intervals within the first 10 minutes after induction and in 5-minute intervals thereafter, during skin incision, uterine incision, removal of infant, uterine sutures, skin sutures, eye opening and extubation in all cases. Cord blood gas analysis and 1- and 5-minute APGAR scores were recorded. In all cases, a keyword was spelled to ear during removal of the infant, and at the first postoperative hour, patients were questioned. Important time periods of surgery and anaesthesia and also the first postoperative hour haemodynamic values, pain scores, nausea and vomiting were noted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The demographic data were similar among cases. In Group T, systolic arterial pressure (SAP), diastolic arterial pressure (DAP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) at the first 2 minutes after induction and heart rate (HR) at almost all time points were significantly higher. BIS values from induction to the eighth minute and skin incision, uterine incision and removal of the infant were lower in Group P. No patient remembered the keyword spelled, while 4 patients reported dreaming during general anaesthesia. The effects of propofol and thiopental sodium on 1- and 5-minute APGAR scores, cord blood gas values and postoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) scores were similar.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Propofol is a more appropriate anaesthetic agent than thiopental in anaesthesia for caesareans, since it provides better anaesthestic depth and more rapid recovery.
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Anaesthesiology and Reanimation, Prof. Dr. Celal Ertuğ Etimesgut State Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Vedat
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Çakırtekin
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Anaesthesiology and Reanimation, Ümraniye Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yıldırım
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Anaesthesiology and Reanimation, Ümraniye Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Nurten
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bakan
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Anaesthesiology and Reanimation, Ümraniye Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Nevin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Çelebi
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Anaesthesiology and Reanimation, Bingöl State Hospital, Bingöl, Turkey.
authors.forename: Özkan
authors.initials: Ö
authors.lastname: Bozkurt
keywords: Caesarean section; bispectral index; intraoperative awareness; propofol; thiopental sodium