Effects of Oral Endotracheal Intubation on Metabolic Gas Exchange

Abstract

Endotracheal intubation performed in the beginning of general anaesthesia is a stress-inducing procedure associated with raised levels of circulating catecholamines and a rise in heart rate and blood pressure, as well as changes in other hemodynamic variables ( 2,4 ). Despite this, few studies have been devoted to evaluating the effects of this procedure on oxygen consumption (VO2) ( 1 ). Today monitors for continuously measuring metabolic gas exchange are available ( 3 ) which provide a way to evaluate the effects of endotracheal intubation on V 0 2 .