Comparison of etomidate and althesin in the reduction of increased intracranial pressure after head injury.

The increasing use of shorter-acting hypnotic agents to control intracranial pressure (ICP) following severe head injury has prompted a prospective double-blind controlled trial comparing the efficacy of etomidate and Althesin, given by i.v. infusion. Over the dose ranges used, the two drugs appeared equipotent in decreasing ICP whilst preserving cerebral perfusion pressure. However, in two patients (one in each group) ICP did not respond to hypnotic infusion, a feature noted in other studies to occur in a minority of patients. With the cessation of Althesin manufacture and the discussion about the use of etomidate infusions, it is timely to document the effectiveness of etomidate in decreasing ICP.