Etomidate: applications in pediatric critical care and pediatric anesthesiology.

Etomidate is a carboxylated, imidazole-containing intravenous anesthetic agent introduced into clinical anesthesia practice in 1972. Its distinctive features that make it useful as an anesthetic induction include a lack of adverse effects on hemodynamic function as well as beneficial effects on cerebral blood flow and intracranial pressure. Because of these properties, its major role in anesthetic practice has been for the induction of anesthesia in patients with diminished cardiovascular function. As opposed to the considerable reported clinical experience with etomidate in the adult population, there remains limited reported information concerning its use in pediatric patients. This article reviews the specific end-organ effects of etomidate, the reports concerning its use in pediatric patients, and its adverse effect profile.